Flood victims in Thessaly village seek new land for relocation
Residents from the village of Vlochos, one of the dozens in central Greece that were submerged during two major rainstorms last September, are asking municipal authorities to find new space for the construction of houses in order to relocate.
The request was submitted to the municipality of Palamas on Friday by the president of the community, Ioannis Koukas, who told local news website karditsalive.net that it is supported by about 70 families who consider relocation as the best possible option.
Koukas said a meeting is planned in the village next week for other residents to sign the petition.
“The village, a very sensitive area in terms of geodynamics, literally sank and was under water for about 25 days,” the petition reads. “Miraculously, we managed to save our lives by taking refuge on the neighboring embankment, while we watched in horror as the whole area, our properties and our entire lives, helplessly sink and disappear under the rapidly and violently created lake.”
“Having as our first concern our security against newer risks to our lives in general, we request the granting of a large area of land, enough to build single-family houses for all the applicants, in the seat of the municipality of Palamas,” the residents said.
Storm Daniel – which was followed by Storm Elias a few weeks later – pounded central Greece and in particular the Thessaly plain for three days, killing at least six people and causing billions of euros worth of damage.
Homes were carried away by torrents, vital infrastructure was destroyed and crops in the country’s second-largest tract of farmland wiped out.
The train network in the region was destroyed and is not expected to be restored until late 2025.
