Greece: Thousands Evacuated From Islands as Wildfires Grow

Facts

• Over the weekend, Corfu became the second Greek island — along with Rhodes — to evacuate residents ahead of explosive wildfires. The Greek Coast Guard has evacuated over 20K on both islands.¹
• The Corfu wildfire began on Sunday afternoon as the windy and dry conditions quickly spread the fire to nearby towns and villages. The advancing fire spurred the Emergency Communications Service to issue an evacuation warning for 18 areas of the island.²
• Greece had planned for a national holiday to take place on Monday, however, Greece's President Katerina Sakellaropoulo said, "In view of the extraordinary conditions prevailing in the country due to the fires" the holiday has been canceled.³
• The EU commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management has said that the EU has provided "over 450 firefighters and seven airplanes."⁴
• Greece has experienced temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F) over the past week and the forecast calls for continued searing heat.⁵
• The evacuation of holidaymakers has proved challenging for Greek agencies, with evacuations taking place by both land and sea with some having to walk miles in the scorching heat to reach safety.³

Sources: ¹Evening Standard, ²Mirror, ³BBC News, ⁴PBS NewsHour, and ⁵DW.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Al Jazeera. The Greek government recognizes the seriousness of the threats that come with a changing climate. While hazards like wildfires have increased, so has the Greek government's response to the causes of challenging climate conditions. Greece has increased its electricity production through renewable means and will continue to increase its renewable footprint.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Reuters. In recent years, while battling monstrous wildfires, the Greek fire services have taken a beating and have lost the confidence of the Greek people. In 2021, homeowners were left to save their own homes while fire services were sent to protect areas of Athens and other populated areas of the country. Athens must do more to prepare its government for the consequences of a changing climate and not just focus on emissions.

Predictions