The dangerous faults in Crete and the areas vulnerable to seismic events in urban centers (vid, pics)

The great earthquake exercise in Crete laid the foundations for better shielding the island from a natural disaster that does not warn, so we must always be vigilant. During the show “Peak Hour” of “CRETE TV” all those facts that make Crete more vulnerable to seismic phenomena were presented, with the seismic events in Arkalochori having made the scientific community of the country wiser.

As the president of the OASP and professor of Dynamic Tectonics and Applied Geology of the Greek Technical University Efthymis Lekkas pointed out, this exercise, which is the largest ever carried out in Greece, will be a powerful tool in the hands of all involved bodies in the event of an earthquake a phenomenon that could hit regions of the country at any time.
Experience has proven that the coordination of all competent services is required, since a quick reaction is what shields and above all saves lives.

As the geologist of the Natural History Museum Charalambos Fasoulas pointed out on the “Peak Hour” show, “it is extremely difficult to do anything in terms of prevention for a phenomenon that occurs at least 10 kilometers underground.” In fact, science has progressed quite a bit, since a few years ago the experts did not know the exact map with the faults, while a reasonable period of time passed for the scientific community to be able to accurately map and of course study the faults.

The dangerous cracks

Mr. Fassoulas, on the occasion of the “Minoas” exercise, referred once again to the dangerous verbs of Crete, such as the Ierapetra rift, which starts from the island of Chrysi, “cuts” Lasithi vertically above Ierapetra and reaches to the North Cretan Sea.

Also, a more vulnerable fault is located in the Mesara Basin. The rift in Spili Rethymnon, but also to the west and south of the regional unity of Chania, as shown on the map of Crete, is also considered difficult. However, Mr. Fassoulas emphasized that sea faults near Crete can also cause large earthquakes. The geologist of the Natural History Museum also referred to the characteristics of the earthquake in Arkalochori, characterizing it as a separate earthquake, with a huge seismic acceleration and one of the key elements that made it so destructive is also reflected on the satellite map, with the area of ​​Arkalochori appearing submerged after the earthquake by 15 to 20 cm.

However, according to Mr. Charalambos Fasoulas, the most dangerous fault is that of Sfakia in the south of the regional unit of Chania, which has also produced major seismic events in the past. As for the city of Heraklion, the least vulnerable areas to seismic events are points in Katsamba and Poros, with the rocky subsoil giving an additional anti-seismic shield to the area.

7.2 and 6.4 Richter in Heraklion and Chania in simulation

The noise is deafening and the reaction of the buildings terrifying… During the show “Rush Hour”, the two seismic events based on the scenario of the exercise took the breath away in the “home” of the earthquake at the Museum of Natural History of Crete, where the journalist Georgia Makaki experienced the 6.4 Richter earthquake in Chania, but also the terrifying 7.2 Richter in Heraklion, as predicted in the “Minoas” exercise, combined with two earthquakes that resemble the scenario of the exercise. We are talking about the 6.9 Richter in Japan in 1999 and the 7.2 Richter in Taiwan in 1995. In fact, the 6.9 Richter is close to the characteristics of the 7.2 Richter earthquake, based on the scenario of the exercise in Heraklion, while Japan’s 7.4 is reminiscent of Chania’s 6.4, based on the exercise scenario.

The geologist Charalambos Fasoulas talked about a scenario of very large earthquakes, which could have tragic consequences in any region of the country if it were recorded as a real event.
The images recorded by the show “Rush Hour”, even in simulation, are truly shocking, since they captured in the most realistic way the tension and the reaction of the area to two seismic phenomena that could result in many dead and injured, as both large earthquakes can be accompanied by tsunamis and fires.
In fact, these two earthquakes may bring hundreds of aftershocks above 6 Richter, with all that this entails in the reaction of already vulnerable buildings from the two main earthquakes. After all, the case of the earthquake in Arkalochori does not allow for complacency, since the intense post-seismic activity exceeded one year after the main earthquake.

OASP: “No authority for unsuitable buildings”

Earthquake shielding exercises are important, as the mayor of Minoa Pediados, Vassilis Kegeroglou, emphasized on the “Peak Hour” show, but the State finally needs to take a serious look at the major problem of repairing the damages as well as compensating the earthquake victims, since the the case of Arkalochori causes only anger as long as two and a half years after the earthquake, citizens are still living in shanties, students are doing lessons in containers and citizens have not yet returned to their homes, but also their shops.

Unfortunately, as both Mr. Kegeroglou and the Association of Earthquake Victims “I Elpida” pointed out, almost three years after the devastating earthquake, the problems they have in relation to the process of their files for their damaged houses are still unresolved.

For this reason, the Association of Earthquake Engineers of the Municipality of Minoa Pediada “I Elpida” invites citizens who have requested housing assistance and have not completed the process to contact the Association.
The Association’s announcement highlights: “We invite our fellow citizens who have filed a file and while they do not have ownership or inheritance issues and the process remains at a standstill, as well as those who have completed the process and the remainder of the housing allowance has not been paid, to contact the Association of Earthquake Victims of the Municipality of Minoa Pedias “I Elpida” by email [email protected]on our association’s page, as well as on the phones of the members of the Board of Directors”.

In fact, the authorities in the Municipality of Minoa Pediados have set a time limit for there to be substantial movements that could put an end to the “hostage” of the citizens.

At the same time, many of the earthquake victims live with the anxiety of auctions, as there are dozens of confiscations that reach families of earthquake victims concerning their first residence, with the “Hope” Association requesting their immediate suspension.

Two typical cases are causing outrage: The first involved a large family with five children, an unemployed father and a family member with a high percentage of disability and very serious health problems, and in the second case a foreclosure report was served on a low-wage pensioner, aged 75, with a wife suffering from cancer . The auctioned property concerns the first and only main residence of approximately 100 square meters.

Unfortunately, as reflected in the report, the matter of the houses is not expected to be closed easily, since if the procedures for the restoration of houses are still “running”, this will take quite a long time, an element that will prolong the stay of the earthquake victims in the containers, with what this implies for the daily life of many “retrieved” families. After all, as the mayor of Minoa Pediados, Vassilis Kegeroglou, pointed out, the margins have narrowed dangerously for the place and its citizens.

At a time when the files are being processed at a slow pace, there are very few who receive a rent allowance, while the paradoxical fact is that almost three years after the earthquake in Arkalochori, the State has not paid the electricity to the cottages. At the same time, concern prevails in the Municipality of Minoa Pediados over the fact that many earthquake victims live in houses that are unsuitable, with all that this entails for their safety.

In fact, as it was revealed on the show “Peak Hour”, the “Hope” Association requested an answer from the OASP regarding the houses that are classified as unsuitable and in need of repair, only to receive the answer with a relevant document that the Earthquake Protection Organization has absolutely no competence , information that was also put to the president of the OASP, Efthymis Lekkas.

Watch the video from the “Rush Hour” show: