The largest anti-seismic exercise in Greece

Started today, Monday (22/04), the Pancreatic exercise MINOAS in Cretethe largest full-scale operational field exercise ever designed in the country to respond to a major earthquake.

In the context of the “Minoas 2024” exercise in Chania and Rethymnon 112 sent via cell phones the message of the exercise by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection to warn of a major earthquake:

“EXERCISE – EXERCISE – MINISTRY OF CLIMATE CRISIS AND CIVIL PROTECTION – 22/04/2024 – TIME 10:20 – Strong earthquake felt in the Regional Units of Chania and Rethymno – Start of earthquake exercise MINOA 2024. EXERCISE – EXERCISE – EXERCISE SI” – ” EXERCISE – EXERCISE – EXERCISE – MINISTRY OF CLIMATE CRISIS AND CIVIL PROTECTION -22/04/2024 – TIME 10:20 – A strong earthquake in the regional units of Chania and Rethymno – Start of earthquake exercise MINOAS 2024. EXERCISE – EXERCISE – EXERCISE» .

The evacuation began immediately public services, local government buildings and services, schools, with workers, citizens and students due to the risk of an earthquake of 6 degrees on the Richter scale rushing to assembly points to protect their lives.

At the same time, the building of the Vice District and the courts was evacuated and, at the same time, operations began to trap people from collapsed buildingswith the EKAV and the Fire Brigade acting in the facilities of the former Markopoulos Camp, in Xyloskalos, in the Samaria Gorge where there are supposedly landslides, with their presence being felt throughout this scenario that works in the exercise.

The same situation is unfolding in Rethymnon, with incidents in the Kotsifou Gorge and injuries to citizens, traffic accidents with overturns and rescues, evacuations of schools and the collapse of the monumental chimney in Koumbe, with injuries and rescues.

In Rethymnon and Chaniathe coordination centers that have been set up have direct cooperation with the central coordination of Heraklion in which the thematic Deputy Regional Governors of Civil Protection of the two prefectures are also present for the management of the crisis based on the provisions of the exercise.

The scenario of the “Minoas 2024” exercise – What it includes

According to the exercise scenario, after 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 22, 2024, there is strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 R centered in the underwater area, 20km NE of the city of Chania, affecting the P.E. Chania and Rethymno.

On Tuesday morning, approximately 24 hours after the first strong seismic event, a new earthquake of magnitude 7.2 R occurs with an epicenter of 30 km in the underwater area north of the gate of Heraklion, which is strongly felt throughout Crete and the wider area, particularly affecting the P.E. Heraklion and Lasithi, while at the same time marine geodynamic waves (Tsunamis) are caused which attack the northern coasts of Crete.

Tomorrow, Tuesday (23/04), two 112 messages will be sent to all of Crete:

• The first message, which will signal the start of the second day’s exercise, will be sent after 10:00 am.
• The second message will follow a few minutes after the first and will be a warning message about the risk of a tsunami due to the seismic vibration.

Efthymios Lekkas: The largest exercise at the national level

“The exercise which will be carried out on April 22, 23, 24 under the general name ‘Minoas 2024’ is an earthquake exercise and accompanying geodynamic phenomena with development throughout Crete. It is a full field development exercise in which all involved agencies and local and central agencies will participate and the exercise essentially concerns an earthquake along with all the accompanying phenomena, ie, tsunami waves, landslides, collapses, displacement of coastlines, trapping of citizens in canyons, in archaeological sites, in parts of the city, evacuation of certain areas due to tsunami waves, fires in industrial facilities, that is, it includes the range of disasters that can occur after a major earthquake»Efthymis Lekkas, president of the Antiseismic Planning and Protection Organization, professor of Dynamic Tectonics, Applied Geology and Natural Disaster Management, told APE-MPE yesterday.

Describing the stages of the exercise, Mr. Lekkas explained that the earthquake will actually occur first in Chania and will have a magnitude of 6.4. “Chania will be affected first and then Rethymnon. 24 hours after this earthquake, a new, larger earthquake of magnitude 7.2 will occur outside of Heraklion, affecting both Heraklion and Lasithi. It’s a scenario of escalating difficulty, it’s a scenario that everyone will exercise, and the objective of the exercise is basically to test interoperability, readiness, structures, means, equipment, volunteers. It is the largest exercise to be held at the national level. Approximately 100,000 residents of Crete will take part, of which approximately 60-70,000 are school children. All the schools of Crete will practice. There will be an evacuation of schools during the seismic actions and then of course evacuations will also take place in public buildings and in private businesses, large hotels, settlements”noted Mr. Lekkas.

It is, as he mentioned, an exercise that includes the whole range of risks arising from seismic activities. “I believe that useful conclusions will emerge. I’m not saying that the exercise will be successful, because we don’t want the exercise to be successful, just to be well organized so that we can see what we can still improve in our operational planning”he underlined.