Greece is in the midst of a "natural crisis of unparalleled dimensions," with 586 wildfires raging across the country.
August 7 -On Saturday, fires raged uncontrollably in Greece for the sixth day, devouring swaths of land on the country's second-largest island, Evia, where hundreds of residents were evacuated by ferry and locals assisted firemen in tackling the blazes. A fire that started on a small island east of Athens on Tuesday soon spread across numerous fronts, destroying thousands of hectares (acres) of pristine forest in the north and prompting the evacuation of dozens of villages.
Firefighters continue to battle blazes across the Mediterranean nation, which is experiencing one of its worst heat waves in decades. Mitsotakis said in a televised address on Monday that 63 coordinated evacuations had taken place in the last several days. "These previous few days have been some of our country's most difficult in decades," Mitsotakis said, noting severe heat and months of drought as factors complicating firefighting efforts.
Evia, Greece's second-largest island, has been in the midst of a firestorm that has decimated the country. According to local officials, more than half of the island has burned. For Greeks who rely on the forests for their livelihood, the fires have been catastrophic. Local inhabitants in Evia told CNN that national assistance arrived too late. Their harvest, which included resin, honey, olives, and figs, was obliterated by the flames.
Southern Europe, where droughts are growing more regular and severe, is the region most vulnerable to the effects of climate change on the continent, according to environmental officials. According to the research, scientists are more confident than ever in identifying the dots between the climate issue and extreme weather: globally, droughts that historically occurred once every 10 years or so are now 70 percent more often. Wildfire seasons are increasingly longer and more devastating as a result of the continuous drought and record heat.
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Bibliography:
Prousalis, Stamos Giorgos Moutafis. “Greece Battles Wildfires for Fifth Day in ‘Nightmarish Summer.’” Reuters, 8 Aug. 2021, www.reuters.com/world/europe/blaze-sweeps-through-athens-suburbs-fifth-day-greece-wildfires-2021-08-07.
By Associated Press and By VOA News. “Greece Grapples with Massive Forest Fires, Evacuations.” Voice of America, 2021, www.voanews.com/europe/greece-grapples-massive-forest-fires-evacuations.
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