PM Mitsotakis in Larissa: Rescuing people trapped in flooded areas is top priority

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Rescuing people trapped by flooding in Thessaly is the top priority these days, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the conclusion of a meeting he had in Larissa on Friday, and he called on the public to follow Civil Protection orders.

Mitsotakis, who is visiting central Greece to see the devastation of torrential rains and flooding, said he wrote to the European Commission president to request the maximum funding possible from the European Union.

• He has also begun a process of talks with the European Investments Bank for Greece to get a loan with very favorable terms, in order to use it for immediate interventions in infrastructural works, he noted.

“Our top priority the next few days is to ensure we can rescue our fellow citizens from areas in which they may be in danger, by air means or using boats, or special Army vehicles,” Mitsotakis said. 

“There are already 15 helicopters operating toward this, and the means we have available will be constantly reinforced. The phenomenon may have concluded in terms of rain and storms, but we still have problems in Larissa and at the end part of Pinios river, since water is still coming down from regions that have been hard hit, therefore the greatest possible alertness is needed, and, obviously, our fellow citizens should follow the directions of Civil Protection,” he underlined.

At the same time, the process of restoring damage and mainly of relieving households and businesses affected has begun as of Friday, wherever authorities can intervene.

“I want to reassure everyone that Greece has the economic ability and the mechanism for speedy support, so that our affected fellow-citizens can see quickly the assistance the state can provide them with, and they may restart their lives and repair their homes – to acquire home furnishings, and businesses to start operating again,” the PM said after the meeting at the Larissa Coordinating Center.

He also said the ‘Daniel’ weather phenomenon, which hit in Thessaly particularly hard, is the most intense weather phenomenon in Greece’s history. It flooded an area double that affected by the storm of ‘Ianos’, a Mediterranean hurricane (“medicane”) that hit Greece in September 2020.

Mitsotakis called for unity before this great challenge, and underlined,

“We shall not give up. We are here and stand by the citizens and local government. All of us together will be able to overcome this very great natural disaster and we shall be able to rebuild what nature destroyed in such an unprecented frenzy.” 

Attending the meeting were ministers and deputy ministers, regional governors, mayors, emergency services officials, and the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator CEO, among others.

Source: ANA – MPA

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