Important Takeaways:
- Professor Efthymios Lekkas, head of the state-run Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, warned on Sunday that seismic activity on Santorini is expected to continue for an extended period.
- “It will be a prolonged sequence lasting several weeks, possibly even a few months. This type of seismic activity does not subside easily,” he stated in an interview with public broadcaster ERTNews.
- Lekkas further explained that the total number of tremors has already exceeded 20,000 earthquakes. “We are dealing with a unique phenomenon in a unique region. The risk has not been eliminated, just as the risk is never zero anywhere in Greece,” he added.
- While the possibility of a 6.0-magnitude earthquake remains on the table, he said that the likelihood is significantly lower.
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Important Takeaways:
- Greece will soon set up an evacuation port on the island of Santorini to facilitate the safe escape of people in case a bigger quake hits the popular tourist destination, a Greek minister said on Monday.
- Santorini, a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, has been shaken by tens of thousands of mild quakes since late January, forcing thousands of people to flee, and authorities to ban construction activity, and shut schools and nearby islands.
- No major damage has been reported but scientists have said the seismic activity was unprecedented even in a quake-prone country like Greece and have not ruled out bigger tremors.
- They have identified the main ferry port at the foot of a precipitous slope and other sites across Santorini as weak links, although they have not said they cannot be used in an emergency situation.
- Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Greece will build an evacuation port for the safe docking of passenger ferries until a new port infrastructure is in place.
- “This story is not over,” Costas Papazachos, a seismology professor, and a spokesperson for the Santorini quakes told public broadcaster ERT.
- “Both authorities and habitants should get used to a rather unpleasant situation for some time, it could be another two, three months.”
- Seismologists have said the latest seismic activity, the result of moving tectonic plates and magma, has pushed subsurface layers of the island upwards.
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Important Takeaways:
- Since January 31, a series of undersea tremors have been recorded between Santorini and the neighboring islands of Amorgos, Anafi, and Ios, with the strongest- a 5.2-magnitude quake – striking on Wednesday night.
- The near-constant tremors have left residents and tourists terrified, with authorities shutting schools, cordoning off cliff-top towns, and warning of landslides.
- Locals have been urged to stay away from ports and avoid gathering indoors, as emergency crews – including the army, fire service, and police – have been deployed across the island.
- More than 11,000 people have now fled Santorini as the island remains gripped by the relentless earthquakes, with tremors now being recorded minute by minute.
- Experts have warned that the island is facing a ‘seismic crisis’ with no clear end in sight, raising fears of a larger, more destructive quake in the days ahead.
- So far, no injuries or major damage have been reported, but emergency teams are preparing for the worst.
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Important Takeaways:
- A series of earthquakes in the Aegean Sea has raised concerns in Greece and Israel, and officials and experts are taking action to address potential risks.
- Santorini and Amorgos have experienced thousands of tremors since late January. The strongest earthquakes have reached magnitudes of 5.2 to 5.3.
- Experts warn that these tremors could be part of a foreshock sequence, increasing the risk of a stronger earthquake.
- Greek authorities report that more than 7,850 earthquakes have hit the Santorini-Amorgos seismic zone since Jan. 26. The continuous seismic activity has increased the risk of landslides on Santorini’s steep slopes.
- Limited landslides have already hit tourist areas such as Red Beach and the Old Port. Authorities are worried about further rockfalls.
- A state of emergency will remain in effect on the island until March 1.
- Ariel Heimann, a senior geologist at the Institute for National Security Studies… noted that although Israel is over 1,200 kilometers from Santorini, a significant offshore earthquake could still trigger a tsunami capable of reaching Israel’s Mediterranean coast
- Israeli officials are reviewing safety measures, including evacuation plans for coastal cities like Haifa.
- The ongoing tremors keep scientists and authorities on high alert. No one can confirm if a major earthquake or tsunami will strike, but preparedness efforts in Israel and Greece continue to increase to reduce risks.
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Important Takeaways:
- A state of emergency has been declared in Santorini after the strongest earthquake was recorded in days of near-constant tremors, which have almost emptied the famous Greek tourist haven of visitors and residents.
- A quake with a magnitude of 5.2 coursed through Santorini on Wednesday evening, the first to exceed 5.0 since the tremors began last week.
- The Greek Civil Protection Ministry on Thursday placed the island under a state of emergency until March 3 to respond to the seismic activity.
- Around 11,000 people are thought to have fled the island, which attracts more than 3.4 million tourists a year and is home to some 20,000 permanent residents.
- No major damage has yet been reported, but Greek authorities are taking precautions ahead of a potentially large-scale earthquake.
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Important Takeaways:
- Some 6,000 people have left the island by ferry since Sunday, according to local media, with emergency flights scheduled to leave on Tuesday.
- More than 300 earthquakes have been recorded in the past 48 hours near the island – and some experts say tremors may continue for weeks. Authorities have closed schools for the entire week and warned against large indoor gatherings, but Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged calm.
- Santorini is a popular tourist destination known for its whitewashed buildings, but most of those leaving are locals, as February is outside the peak tourist season.
- Several tremors, measuring up to magnitude 4.7, were recorded north-east of Santorini early on Tuesday.
- Though no major damage has been reported so far, emergency measures are being taken as a precaution.
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Important Takeaways:
- A series of earthquakes near the Greek island of Santorini have led authorities to shut down schools, dispatch rescue teams with sniffer dogs and send instructions to residents including a request to drain their swimming pools.
- Even though earthquake experts say the more than 200 tremors that have hit the area since early Friday are not related to the volcano in Santorini, which once produced one of the biggest eruptions in human history, locals are on edge
- The strongest earthquake recorded was magnitude 4.6 at 3:55 p.m. Sunday, at a depth of 14 kilometers (9 miles), the Athens Geodynamic institute said. A few tremors of over magnitude 4 and dozens of magnitudes 3 have followed. There were no reports of damage or casualties.
- Earthquake experts and officials from the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and the fire service have been meeting daily and decided to close schools Monday on the island of Santorini as well as nearby Amorgos, Anafi and Ios.
- After Sunday’s meeting, they also advised residents and hotel owners in Santorini to drain their swimming pools over concerns that large volumes of water could destabilize buildings in case of a strong quake.
- Experts said it was impossible to predict whether the seismic activity could lead to a stronger tremor, but added that the area could potentially produce a 6-magnitude quake.
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