Greece Offers Cash Assistance to Earthquake Hit Families

Greece announced on Saturday that it will offer cash assistance to the families in the region of Elassona whose properties were damaged by Wednesday’s the strong earthquake.

Alternate Interior Minister Stelios Petsas said that the amount of 300,000 euros ($357,000) will be given to each of the municipalities that were afflicted by the earthquake.

The earthquake measuring 6.0.on the Richter scale shook central Greece on Wednesday.

A second earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale shook the same area on Thursday.

The cash aid will be provided on Monday to the municipalities of Tyrnavos, Elassona and Farkadona.

Local residents can then be given amounts ranging from 600 to 6,000 euros, so as to deal with immediate emergencies, the minister underlined.

By Tuesday, he added, housing units will be installed to accommodate village residents at the area of Elassona, he added.

These housing units will be installed after they have first been provided with a water and power supply.

State of emergency in earthquake-hit areas

While no one was injured and no deaths were recorded, at least 30 houses, along with a school, were severely damaged in Mesochori in the municipality of Elassona.

The rapid housing of people in regional villages is a priority, Petsas added, while 37 trailer homes will also arrive there on Saturday.

Petsas, who has been visiting earthquake-hit areas on Saturday, described the earthquake as “catastrophic”, noting that “fortunately there were no casualties.”

Meanwhile, a state of emergency was on Friday declared in the municipality of Tyrnavos and the municipal unit of Potamia within the Elassona municipality, both in the Larissa regional unit.

Also, in the municipality of Farkadona in the Trikala regional unit, in order to address the emergency needs and management of the repercussions of the strong earthquake in these areas on March 3.

Opposition calls for immediate compensation

It is of the utmost critical importance and urgency to immediately compensate earthquake-afflicted citizens, said SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras during his visit in central Greece on Saturday.

The main opposition party leader also visited the village of Damasi, “which resembles a bombed field”, he noted.

“It is a miracle how there weren’t any victims, and this is owed to the calm-mindedness of the local people, and especially of the teachers here and the young students”, he added.

Apart from the legally required compensations, underlined Tsipras, it is also important to relieve local businesses of their tax obligations for the next six months.

The vaccination of local residents against the coronavirus should also be prioritized, he underlined, as they will have to live in tents and outdoor housing units for several days.