Devastation in Greece

This summer Greece has suffered the worst fires since records began in 1897 with 300,000 square kilometres of forest and orchards and almost 1000 homes destroyed and thousands damaged. 

The Greek television showed nothing other than the fires.  There were very disturbing interviews where people were saying that they had lost everything – their houses, all their possessions, crops, chickens, goats and had literally only the clothes they were stood up in.

One of the worst areas affected by the fires was around Ancient Olympia in the Western Peloponnese and although the site itself was saved, sixteen of the villages close to the town of Zaharo were obliterated, resulting in 44 of the 66 deaths.

I travelled out to meet my parents, who live about an hour or so away from Zaharo on the 30th August.  The road up to Killini ferry port passes through Zaharo and within 10 miles of Ancient Olympia.

We saw first hand the devastation. 

Charred stumps of trees, white and grey mountain sides, which had once been green.  In some cases as you can see from the picture, it almost looked like a winter scene with white ash laying on the ground and the charred blackened trees.  Whole swathes of hillsides bore scorched olive trees.

My parents told me that as they passed through Zaharo on the way to meet me, there were lots of people milling around.  Usually they would be busy going about their business, but that day they were stood quietly at the side of the road, with looks of complete despair upon their faces.  They had never ever seen anything like it. 

Outside the post office there was a police guard and they stood fifty deep, queuing to collect the promised compensation – 8,000 Euros if they had lost their home and 2,000 Euros if they have lost the contents.  They have been promised further compensation in due course.

It is bad enough that these people have lost everything that they own, but because the majority of them are entirely dependant upon the land, it will be years, even if they replanted tomorrow, before they could restore their meagre income.

Debate still continues as to whether or not the fires have been started deliberately or whether it is a result of a winter drought followed by a record three heat-waves during the summer. 

There is a peculiar law in Greece, whereby building permission is refused on forest land, but subsequently given if the forest is burnt and attempts are made by the builder to prove that the land was not forest land in the first place.  Although funding was granted by Europe to establish a register of forest land ten years ago, this has never been completed.  Pressure is now being exerted by Europe for Greece to refuse building permission on the burnt forest lands.

Between Zaharo and Ancient Olympia lies Kaifa – which was a beautiful lakeland area where there are thermal springs.  I remember from a previous visit, that it was a beautiful part of the country- a hillside completely covered in pine trees, stretching down to the lake and then more pine trees overhanging the road that ran about 20 yards a way from the lake.  I can still smell that unmistakeable scent of pine, lingering heavily on the warm air.  Now there is nothing other than tall charred sticks, surrounded by ash and a smell of smoke that drifts for miles.  As we passed through that day we saw smouldering trees and thick smoke – ready to burst back into flame at any minute.  There were members of the army keeping fire watch around every bend of the road.

A few people asked me during my stay in Greece “Where is your God in all of this?”

Although, it’s hard for me to understand why bad things happen, what struck both my parents and I as unusual in these circumstances was the number of isolated fields, villages, remote churches and roadside shrines (usually erected in memory of someone who has lost their life on that spot) that appeared to be barely touched by the fire, whilst all around was destroyed.

I am sure that if we could talk to the people affected by the fires that we would find that they have a lot of remarkable stories to tell and we would see that despite the destruction, God was there doing all that he could to protect.

It was difficult to escape the issue of the fires and completely relax during my stay when there were constant reminders of people suffering.  You feel guilty, thinking that only 18 miles away (which is the distance that I travel regularly from my home to worship in Mumbles) there are people desperately fighting to hold on to their home, their livelihood and their family, while I’m pottering uselessly about...  You begin to wonder why you are so blessed, especially when you’re sat on the beach watching water bombing aeroplanes swoop down to the sea to pick up water and charcoal is washing in on the tide on a daily basis.

It was a humbling experience for all of us. 

Most of the fires were out by the time I came home and now the news crews have left and Greece is no longer headline news, but the suffering goes on amongst those who have lost everything.  Please continue to remember them in your prayers.

Lynne and Selina Taylor