115 families, 450 people, request their relocation from Vlohos Karditsa, the village that was covered by the waters and mud of bad weather Daniel for more than two months and suffered total destruction, with their open letter to the prime minister.
As the residents of Vlohos emphasize in their letter, “the majority of the families in the village that we are requesting relocation, the vast majority (96 out of 115) have our permanent homes here, which are almost all 10-year-old buildings 1960 and suffered total destruction”. They then explain that the restoration of the specific houses, with whatever grants are allocated, will be in vain, as due to their age and their stay in the water for more than 20 days, the masonry, the roofs and above all their overall static adequacy have suffered irreparable damage that no amount of work can restore to make them safe.
The residents of Vlohos appeal to the government stressing: “Give us the opportunity to live and prosper in our place with the conditions we deserve. We know you can do it. It will be tragic because of the lack of unanimity that we will be “condemned” to live in a regime of gloom, fear and insecurity”.
The entire letter follows
Open letter to 115 families of the Vlochos Karditsa Postal Code
Honorable Mr. Prime Minister.
We feel the need to contact you through this open letter in order to expose you to the serious problem we are facing as a result of the weather phenomenon “Daniel” that hit our area on September 7, 2023, and which concerns the major issue of the partial relocation of our village.
It is known that in our area during the seasonal changes, except for summer, and during periods of intense rainfall, the volume of water exceeds the capacity of the three rivers that surround the village, resulting in their overflowing. This results in covering large areas of agricultural land and, above all, puts the settlement at serious risk of flooding.
The situation described above is a recurring process that we experience and unfortunately there is no way out. The geographical position of our village is absolutely incorrect and proof of this is the total flood disaster it suffered in 1953 and its near repetition in 1994, which was averted thanks to the efforts of the residents, but also the help of luck.
Vlochos is located at the lowest point of Thessaly and at the epicenter of the subsidence of three rivers, which are unable to absorb and channel the waters smoothly, during their natural flow. We would like to emphasize here that Storm Daniel and the subsequent devastation simply brought to the fore the anguish our village experiences every year. We are under no illusions, global climate change is here and the brutality of destruction will soon be knocking on our door again. We know that.
After checking historical maps and scribbles of the area, it was found that during the Ottoman period (end of the 17th century) and until 1925, the village was located on the slope of the “Makryvouni” hill and then expanded to the plain part, which, as it turned out , was and remains completely inappropriate.
The above reasons make us believe that the removal of the settlement from its current location to another, safer area, which has already been indicated by the Municipality of Palamas, is the only and definitive solution to the problem.
For this purpose, we inform you that the majority of families in the village (115, with 450 members in total) that we are requesting to relocate, the vast majority (96 out of 115) have our permanent homes here, which almost all they are buildings of the 10th year of 1960 and suffered complete destruction. Their restoration, with whatever grants are allocated, will be in vain, as precisely because of their age and their stay in the water for more than 20 days, the masonry, roofs and above all their overall static adequacy have suffered irreparable damage which no work can restore to make them safe.
Moreover, even assuming that the damages are possible to repair, how can we invest in a place that we know in advance is absolutely vulnerable to the omens, even of small intensity?
How can we rebuild our lives and properties in a place where flooding is proven to cause total destruction, possibly even death?
What economic activity and progress can we develop, when every fall, winter, spring the threat of disaster will hang?
And, finally, perhaps most importantly, how will the new generation of the village be convinced not to choose, under the weight of difficulties, the easy solution of immigration – urbanization and to believe that the dreams, hopes, expectations and ambitions they have can be carried out in her place, at a time when it is known that this violence will be repeated?
Dear Prime Minister, we appeal to you to take the brave decision and allow the requested partial relocation of the 115 families. Give us the opportunity to live and prosper in our land with the conditions we deserve. We know you can do it. It will be tragic because of non-unanimity that we are “condemned” to live in a regime of gloom, fear and insecurity.
Thank you.
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