Siviri: government delegation on recovery

A government delegation held a meeting and on-site inspections at Siviri in the Municipality of Kassandra, Chalkidiki, on Wednesday 19 August, on the subject of recovery after the fire that struck the area. Taking part in the meeting were the Minister of Rural Development, Margaritis Schinas, the Deputy Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Kostas Katsafados, the deputy regional governor, Ioannis Koufidis, and the mayor of Kassandra, Margaritis Papastefanou. The allocation announced provides for 2.5 million euros to the Municipality of Kassandra, 1 million euros to the sub-region and 450,000 euros to the Kassandra Forestry Directorate, with priority given to flood protection works and to protecting the burnt areas before the first autumn rains.

As to the total amount of the funding, the outlets that covered the visit do not agree. Thestival speaks of a total package of 3.95 million euros, while Voria reports 3.5 million euros specifically for the restoration of infrastructure. The difference may be due to what is included in the total each time, that is whether the sum for the Forestry Directorate is counted in or whether only the amounts directed to infrastructure works are recorded. Neither version has been cross-checked against a published allocation decision, which is why both are recorded here, without one being chosen as definitive. The exact amount will emerge from the ministerial decisions to be posted on Diavgeia.

Beyond the works, the package includes immediate support for those affected. It provides for a household goods allowance of between 2,000 and 6,000 euros depending on the damage, support of 600 euros to cover basic living needs and payment of the money within ten days, while for businesses support of up to 70% of the recorded damage has been announced in advance. The damaged infrastructure noted during the inspections includes the Siviri Amphitheatre and the wastewater treatment plant, two facilities with a direct impact on daily life in the settlement and on its tourist operation. “Our first priority is the immediate safety of Siviri… to create a Siviri that is safer and more modern,” said the mayor of Kassandra, Margaritis Papastefanou.

Kassandra is one of the most densely developed tourist municipalities in northern Greece, with an economy that rests almost exclusively on the summer season, which makes the timing of implementation as critical as the size of the sums. The question for the coming period is whether the anti-erosion and flood protection works will have been completed before the heavy rainfall, since burnt slopes above inhabited zones hold back far less water and soil. At the same time the recording of damage per home and business is pending, and on this will depend who ultimately receives the support and at what level. The issue of recovery after fires returns every summer as a test of the state machinery, while the relevant decisions are also closely watched by the economy of local communities.