Disaster

I saw a headline on the news yesterday, in quotes, “Worst Disaster Since World War II”. I don’t know if this was the talking point of a politician or a journalist, but I’m not sure I agree, generally speaking, that the fires have been a worse disaster than the junta of the 60's. Even so, Greece has had its share of disasters ever since Byzantine times, and certainly the fires of the last few days are disastrous not only on a personal or environmental level but also on a political level. Fires in Greece are a major disaster for a variety of reasons, including lack of infrastructure for dealing with mass fires like this one, and lack of education among the populace in fire safety and prevention. I certainly hope that whatever party gains power in the upcoming election not only sets out to change these things but actually does something about it, because a number of factors seem to indicate that fire season in Greece may only keep getting worse (especially if we continue with drier winters).

On that note, please read Kat’s post about fires and fire safety (if you haven’t already), and her wonderful article in the Guardian U.K.

We all love Greece. Here’s hoping we can make things right for the future.