“The prime minister requested and we are implementing the largest anti-seismic exercise that has ever been carried out in the country,” said the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, from Crete where he was at the start of the “MINOAS” anti-seismic exercise.
The Minister emphasized once again that the climate crisis is now very intense and the Ministry as well as all the relevant agencies must prepare for all scenarios.
The “MINOAS” exercise is the largest full-scale field exercise ever designed in Greece to deal with a major earthquake, organized by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, the Organization for Earthquake Planning & Protection (OASP) and the Region of Crete.
This exercise is now institutionalized and will take place in a different region of the country every year.
The following is the statement of the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilia:
“The Prime Minister requested and we are implementing the largest anti-earthquake exercise in the field that has ever been carried out in the country, this year, here in Heraklion, in Crete, which is unfolding in various phases and in the following days, in all prefectures and in all regions Island’s. This exercise is now institutionalized and will take place in a different region of the country once a year.
It is important that the exercise is realistic in the field with real and difficult scenarios. In other words, the Ministry of Civil Protection, the OASP and the co-competent bodies did not plan an exercise like in the past to congratulate each other.
It is an exercise in which we hope that at some points, we will struggle or fail or that weaknesses will be seen so that we can incorporate them in our conclusions and correct ourselves and become better.
Crete, I remind you, has a very large influx of tourists, not only in the summer months, but at least six to seven months a year. It has primary production, it has kindergartens, schools, universities, it has a public sector, it has hospitals, it has nursing homes and it also has many difficulties because it has a mountainous terrain together with densely populated areas.
Listen, the planet, it’s obvious, is going through multiple crises in recent years. We have seen a major global public health crisis that we have faced, we are unfortunately seeing wars in the heart of Europe, in the Middle East and extreme natural phenomena. Mega fires, floods – I think if anyone has seen the images from Dubai they understand the magnitude of the climate crisis.
We have to prepare for all scenarios, of course we wish and hope that we never have to, but in the event that we have to, there should have been real exercises in which everyone participates and we have tried to improve as much as possible. Above all the value of human life”.
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