Fire Victims Receive Aid from Greeks Across the Country

The victims of the destructive infernos that have hit Greece over the past twelve days are now receiving aid from across the country, donated by public and private organizations and citizens.

Greeks across the country responded immediately to support their fellow citizens who saw their homes engulfed in flames or were forced to evacuate as a result of the fires.

The August wildfires caused the largest environmental catastrophe in Greek history. According to the National Observatory of Athens, as of Wednesday evening, a total of 126,023 acres (51,000 hectares) of forest have been burned.

A wave of solidarity and support for those affected by the wildfires has swept the country, with people and groups in the Attica region being among the first to respond.

Local authorities respond quickly

Local authorities were the first to respond to aid the fire victims in the areas that were hit the hardest, predominantly Evia, Ilia and North Attica, Mani and Arcadia.

The Attica region first sent aid to Athens northern suburbs of Varybobi, Acharnes, Dionysos, Kryoneri, Thrakomakedones, Afidnes and Agios Stefanos.

Subsequently, the Attica region sent further aid to North Evia, the area that suffered the most as the result of the wildfires.

First, officials sent humanitarian aid to Lake Evia and the village of Rovies village; later, the  Region sent staples to the Municipality of Mantoudi – Lake Evia – Agia Anna.

A truck full of necessities for the victims of the villages of Papades, Achladi and Kerasia, which belong to the Municipality of Mantoudi- Lake Evia – Agia Anna, was delivered on behalf of Attica Region Governor Giorgos Patoulis.

Food, water, animal feed and pharmaceuticals were disbursed to the victims there, while a catering company has been set up to serve meals to those who need them.

Attica municipalities sent aid missions

The Kallithea Municipality initially sent aid to the Acharnes and Dionysos municipalities, as well as medical supplies to a Hellenic Red Cross station.

This was followed by relief missions to the Dorida Municipality and Ancient Olympia, in Istiaia and Lake Evia, and also in Gortynia, which also experienced fires this past week.

The Municipality of Nea Philadelphia organized the first mission to northern Evia, delivering aid to the town hall of Mantoudi – Lake Evia – Agia Anna, while a second mission is scheduled.

The Moschato-Tavros Municipality donated basic necessities to the victims in the area of ​​Istiaia-Edipsos and Mantoudi-Lake Evia; it is now collecting school supplies for the students of the fire-affected areas.

The Chalandri Municipality delivered supplies to Rovies, which will then be distributed further on to the villages of Paleochori, Kalamoudi, Damia, Drimonas, Marouli, Koulouros, Kerasia, Kokkinomilia and Simia.

The Chalandri Municipality also sent water and food to the villages of Gortynia, Pyrri and Loti in the Peloponnese.

The Maroussi Municipality sent dry food for stray animals in Acharnes and food and water to the Istiaia-Edipsos Municipality in Evia.

The municipality of Elliniko-Argyroupolis sent a shipment of basic necessities to the Acharnes Municipality and another to the Mantoudi and Rovies in Evia.

In addition, Glyfada completed two missions which delivered aid to the fire victims, one to Olympia and one to northern Evia, while a third mission was organized for Mani and a fourth to Gortynia and Tropae in Arcadia.

Also, the municipalities of Galatsi, Glyfada and Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni immediately created emergency animal sheds for the fire-affected areas in Attica.

Greek citizens aid fire victims directly

The response from the Greek public to the catastrophe has been both overwhelming and moving. People of all ages continue to rush to the locations designated by the municipal authorities to contribute whatever they can to their fellow countrymen.

In a very short time, large quantities of supplies were collected from individuals to help those affected by the fires, while municipalities were already carrying out their own aid missions.

Meanwhile, several fundraisers have been established to offer monetary aid to the fire victims.

The Unboxholics, a popular YouTube team, started a fundraiser to aid the fire victims and as of now they have gathered €360,000.

Multiple entities of Greek diaspora have also rushed to help the fire victims in Greece.