Greece’s bread heart is hurt

Dear reader,

This is our weekly round-up from Greece. 

The situation in Thessaly Plain and surrounding areas is desperate. Lost lives, homes, and animals in the mud predict nothing but a grim next decade for these people and for the country as a whole, as the plain represents some 5.2% of the country’s GDP - in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. 

The road and rail network has been crippled. Even army bases flooded, raising questions about whether top army officers could protect the national defense. 

Even worse is that the disaster could have been avoided. It has been predicted with great accuracy. But then, anti-flooding works were never implemented. This, along with government incompetence, did the job.

The next day will be really hard. How many disasters can this country take? 

What happened in Thessaly?

How many died? How many are missing?

More than a week after the disastrous flooding in Thessaly Plain, caused by Storm Daniel, there are no satisfactory answers to these questions.

Officially, until now, there are 17 dead (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), including an Austrian couple (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) who went missing in Pelion, where they had traveled to get married. 

Officially, there is only one missing person, a Pakistan national working in the fields.

How can only one person be missing since whole villages were covered under water (which has not been drained yet)? According to Greek media, the rescue team’s work has not retracted any dead people who were not reported as missing. Authorities claimed that if people were still missing, their loved ones or neighbors would have reported it.

“What nobody can safely estimate is the number of migrant workers who are doing agricultural work in the Thessaly plain, as they were staying in shanties and makeshift lodgings, and it is possible the strong rain trend carried them away,”

Kathimerini reported (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) on 10 September. KEERFA Anti-Racist Movement reported (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) on 11 September that at least eight migrant workers were missing.