Authorities announce emergency aid for fire-ravaged island
The Greek government has announced 180,000 euros in emergency aid for Kythira in the wake of this month’s devastating wildfire.
The assistance was approved by Interior Minister Panos Skourletis following an appeal by the island’s municipal authority.
The government said financial assistance will be used in the construction of the necessary anti-flood and soil erosion prevention projects.
More than 2,300 hectares of land was burnt by the wildfire that swept for roughly three days across much of the island, according to data collected by the FireHub radar system of the National Observatory of Athens’s BEYOND center, which monitors natural disasters in Southeastern Europe.
According to the same data, 47 percent of the area destroyed was shrubland, 20 percent had sparse foliage, 26 percent was agricultural land while another 7 percent was specified as cultivated farmland.
The extent of the damage on Kythira led to a barrage of criticism against the government, with opposition parties charging there was poor coordination and a lack of aerial support.
