Anti-flood works pushed
As anti-flood works got under way in the Peloponnese and Evia yesterday, residents of fire-ravaged areas said they feared that crucial infrastructure would not be in place in time to avert further damage from floods and landslides which may be brought by heavy rain. Works to shore up the banks of some 20 rivers in the area, at an estimated cost of 15 million euros, have already started at Ancient Olympia, Zacharo and Amaliada. Meanwhile, dozens more woodcutters arrived in Ileia to help build anti-flood barriers to protect the fire-razed region in the event of heavy rain, which meteorologists forecast for much of the country over the next few days. In a bid to boost the regeneration drive, Washington has offered Athens support in the form of equipment and manpower. US Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England pledged the support during a telephone conversation with his Greek counterpart Vassilis Michaloliakos yesterday. But despite intensive efforts, locals fear that the area’s basic infrastructure will not be strong enough to withstand wet and windy weather conditions. «Maintenance and clearing works are not enough to protect the whole region, as the threat of erosion in mountainous areas is serious,» Ileia Deputy Prefect Panagiotis Platanias told Kathimerini. «We will do whatever we have time to do in order to protect our villages and roads,» Platanias said. A total of 847 homes in eight prefectures were completely destroyed in the recent fires, according to state officials who completed their assessment yesterday. Another 672 homes have been partially damaged, they said. By late yesterday nearly all fires had been put out. But the fire service remained on alert as firefighters made efforts to control small blazes in Laconia, on the slopes of Mount Parnon, in Messinia, Ileia, Arcadia and Thesprotia. Meanwhile, a 39-year-old air force pilot died yesterday after sustaining serious burns in last month’s devastating fires, bringing the death toll to 66. Another 10 people had died in an earlier cycle of fires in July. As the debate on fire prevention intensified, the Public Order Ministry proposed the creation of an international forest fire advisory committee to pool know-how from countries with experience in firefighting such as the USA, Australia and France.
