Published
Video length: 5 min
Greece: One year after the fires, Rhodes is still scarred
The island of Rhodes suffered major fires for several days in the summer of 2023. A year later, residents continue to rebuild.
(France 2)
The island of Rhodes suffered major fires for several days in the summer of 2023. A year later, residents continue to rebuild.
In Rhodes (Greece), a man returns, distressed, to see the ruins of his house. Built of wood more than 30 years ago, the house did not resist the fires of 2023. During this summer, an entire part of the south of Rhodes was ablaze for days. Villages were caught in a pincer movement and tens of thousands of tourists were forced to flee on the roads. Emergency evacuations took place on foot, by bus or by boat, sometimes in the middle of the night.
A year later, dozens of residents have still not rebuilt their homes and have been temporarily relocated to studios lent by the church. “The fire burned for 11 days and no one really reacted”regrets Ioannis Stouppos, a resident of Kiotrari. This feeling of abandonment is shared by others in Rhodes. A restaurateur, who was not insured, received only 2,000 euros in state aid. To get by, he got into debt. In July 2023, almost 15% of the island’s surface burned.
