The Deputy Minister of State for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Costas Katsafados, in an interview with Athens 9.84 and Katerina Papavassiliou, on the occasion of the disasters caused by the recent fires, announced that the process of recording the damage has already begun with the aim of immediate restoration of those affected.
According to Mr.Katsafados, crews of the General Secretariat for Natural Disaster Restoration are conducting autopsies in order to accelerate the restoration of damage to residences while after cooperation of citizens with the municipality and the Region, the required documents are sent to the General Secretariat for Natural Disaster Restoration in order to provide financial assistance for basic living needs and for construction.
«Citizens affected by the recent fires have the opportunity, with the check sheet from the crews of the General Secretariat for Natural Disasters, the E1 and E9 to apply to the Municipality and within a very short period of time to receive an allowance for their household goods which ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 euros, depending on the damage suffered by their home and the allowance for extraordinary living needs of 600 euros,» he said.
‘As he explained, with a Joint Ministerial Decision that will delineate the affected area will begin the process of issuing permits for repair or reconstruction of buildings while at the same time, beneficiaries will be able to apply for retroactive rent subsidies up to 500 euros, if it is a primary residence.
«Applications will be submitted by next Monday and the money will be paid next week,» he added.
«2/3 of the country was in the red»
«Last Saturday we experienced an extremely difficult situation throughout Greece. Almost 2/3 of the country was in red and the fire brigade was on full alert 24 hours a day. We had a prolonged period of high temperatures and more than 55 active fires and the Fire Brigade did everything humanly possible to cope. Crews from the Arson Investigation Directorate , the Fire Service have gone to all the fires, are carrying out checks and we are awaiting their results. The penalties for arson are severe and several who are arrested face charges of arson with possible malice.».
«Civil Protection directives are orders»
«Last year, more than 2000 fires were caused by human error or deliberate action. Means and resources were exhausted. We need to get the message across that the Civil Protection guidelines are not just instructions but orders and that if they are implemented by all citizens, a deterrent wall will be created, we will not risk losing human lives, property and the natural environment.».
«Attica fortified with 84 drones»
«We are experiencing the consequences of the climate crisis with tragic results all over the world. Last year, 44 drones started a pilot surveillance in Attica and this year, 84 drones are monitoring 24 hours a day. We are creating the conditions to stand as a barrier to the climate crisis».
«Our country will acquire 7 new Canadair aircraft»
«Greece is a leader in the renewal of the forest firefighting fleet. We are the first country - along with France - to start receiving new equipment, namely the first 7 new Canadair aircraft that will belong to the national fleet and will be able to operate 24 hours a day, while from next year we will have the new helicopters at our disposal. At the same time, anti-flood, anti-corrosion and forest protection works are being carried out, which the country has not seen for decades. A culture of coordination and cooperation has developed in Greece, there is planning.
