Most Greeks are unprepared for earthquakes
Now that the reverberations of the recent Kythera earthquake have subsided, people have realized that they are none the wiser about how to protect themselves from a natural phenomena that occurs fairly frequently in Greece. Despite listening to seismologists disagree about whether the 6.9 Richter quake had been forecast – and, if so, by whom – and to danger-mongerers spouting forth on television without any scientific basis to their claims, people still heard nothing about how to best defend themselves in the event of another quake. In a country with the third-highest incidence of earthquakes on the planet, people generally have no idea what to do when one strikes. The state authorities will not classify regions according to seismic activity. They also do not spotlight which are the most risk-prone areas. After the Kythera earthquake, people said they had been waiting for a large quake to happen near Kythera. The authorities – the Organization for Seismic Protection (OASP), the committee for evaluating earthquake risk – knew something was up because of scientific reports. The only ones who had no idea were the residents of the surrounding area. What would have happened if, say two or more years ago, they had been informed that their region was in a high-risk zone? Maybe they would have gotten used to the idea, considered it when building new homes and repaired those with stability problems, and learned to react appropriately when the time came. When on May 23, 2002, Kathimerini released a confidential report by Professor Vassilis Papazachos to OASP on the regions – including Kythera – where, according to the method used by his team, strong quakes were expected within five years, he was set upon by all and sundry. The danger-mongers certainly feared losses to the tourism industry, a lack of investments, a mass exodus, towns and villages being emptied and so on. «Experts» speaking in the media reported that the Turks were «gleefully rubbing their hands together.» Yet none of these dire predictions came true. The tourists kept coming, the Turks were not seen to be opening champagne, nor did islanders abandon their homes. On the contrary, a few people in the former government actually got going and the relevant services went to the high-risk areas to take a few protective measures. In other countries where earthquakes are frequent, the state makes a practice of training the population in an «earthquake culture» – providing information about how to reduce risks. In California, one of the most earthquake-prone places in the world, at least 60 tremors are recorded every day. The residents of San Francisco are prepared for the likelihood of a major quake. The media frequently broadcast information, local councils and other state services have taken precautions and the United States Geological Survey website provides all kinds of information on quakes and protecting oneself from them. By keying in pasadena.wr.usgs.gov, Californians have access to a model designed by experts of what could happen on a certain day at a certain point in one’s own district, the likelihood of aftershocks, where to go to seek refuge and what one can expect to find there. There are links to experts who are available to answer questions and make suggestions. The link for children has everything a website can offer – information, games (hangman, for example), images and music. They are also taught even more at school. The Japanese are also well-prepared; the residents of Tokyo have long known to expect a quake of up to 8 Richter and are well-prepared. Professor Giorgos Karakaisis, a professor of geophysics at Thessaloniki University, knowns firsthand how the Japanese prepare for quakes. «In the five-and-a-half months I was working in Tokyo, there were three earthquake drills. We all went out of the offices and laboratories in an orderly way and went to specific places where there were tents, enough dried food to last several days, water, transistor radios, flashlights and other necessities. Factories, schools, institutions and local government agencies all had their own fully equipped areas. Every single person knew where to go and what to do,» he explained. Earthquakes are not a taboo subject for the Japanese. They are trained to expect major quakes and know how to react. But in Greece, this kind of information does indeed appear to be taboo. Every time there is a big earthquake in Greece, a great fuss is made on television about whether it had been predicted. Seismologists argue and the state passes the buck by telling them to first agree on the question of prediction and then work out an earthquake reaction strategy. As for the people of Kythera, Aigion, Cephalonia and other high-risk areas, they are learning about the clash of continental shelves in the Mediterranean, but nothing about how to defend themselves from its effects.
