Following severe floods that swept through Northern Corfu on Friday and Saturday, November 21st and 22nd, a delegation from the Corfu Territorial Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), led by Alexandra Balou and Eleni Martzoukou, conducted an on-site assessment of the affected areas. Their findings paint a grim picture of extensive damage and underscore a critical failure in state preparedness and response.
The Extent of the Catastrophe: A Recurring Nightmare
The KKE delegation witnessed firsthand the widespread destruction across farms, homes, businesses, and the provincial, municipal, and rural road networks. In Karousades, numerous landslides engulfed houses and the local police station in mud and water, while others were damaged or left precariously close to collapsing. Vehicles were crushed, roads within the village were blocked by tons of earth, and DEI power poles toppled, leading to widespread power outages.
Similar scenes of devastation were reported in Sidari and Peroulades, where homes and businesses were inundated. In Agrafous, houses and cars sustained damage, and retaining walls collapsed in the areas of Kounavades and Kontrogades. The community of Velonades experienced massive hillside slips, leaving homes severely damaged or at risk. Finally, in Arillas, debris from an uncleared stream destroyed the coastal road. The community and provincial networks were flooded or covered in earth, mud, and fallen trees, with dislodged rocks and boulders adding to the chaos. The electricity grid suffered significant damage, leaving many areas without power.
These images, tragically, are not new to the western part of Northern Corfu. With every rainfall, regardless of its intensity, the profound shortcomings in both prevention and emergency planning become starkly evident. The island lacks a comprehensive flood protection plan, and even basic measures such as clearing streams, maintaining road networks, and cleaning ditches and drains are consistently neglected. The KKE highlighted the desperate situation of community presidents vying for the use of a single bulldozer, illustrating the severe lack of resources.
Beyond ‘Bad Weather’: A Systemic Failure
The KKE unequivocally states that the destruction in Northern Corfu cannot be solely attributed to the ‘severity of the weather’ or, yet again, to ‘climate change.’ Instead, they pinpoint the blame on a ‘selectively incompetent state’ and a long-standing policy formulated within the EU and diligently implemented by successive governments. While acknowledging climate change as a consequence of human activity within the current system, the KKE argues that the state cannot merely be a passive observer, using it as a convenient excuse. It has a duty to examine new data and plan accordingly.
The current political approach, according to the KKE, views essential flood protection projects and infrastructure, vital for safeguarding people’s lives and property, as mere ‘costs.’ Such projects are often deemed ineligible for European funding programs, a stance consistently supported by local municipal and regional authorities. This explains the minimal and fragmented nature of flood protection works, the inadequate post-disaster interventions by state mechanisms, and the chronic underfunding and understaffing of Civil Protection services and the Fire Department.
Urgent Demands for Action
In light of the ongoing crisis, the KKE is demanding immediate action from the government:
- Issuance of a Joint Ministerial Decision to delineate the affected areas.
- Reinforcement of relevant services with personnel to expedite the recording of damages to homes, businesses, cars, fields, and machinery.
- Immediate mobilization of all available resources and personnel from state services to remove the vast quantities of earth and debris, and to restore electricity and water supply to the affected regions.
- Generous funding for the construction of all necessary flood protection works and the restoration of public infrastructure.
- 100% compensation for all damages incurred by those affected, without bureaucratic delays, along with financial support and relief measures.
- Establishment of an updated and comprehensive civil protection system.
The KKE’s strong condemnation underscores a deep-seated frustration with what they perceive as a recurring cycle of neglect and inadequate response. As the people of Northern Corfu grapple with the aftermath of yet another devastating flood, the call for systemic change and proactive governance grows louder.
Source: https://www.kerkyrasimera.gr/kke-kerkyrasgia-akoma-mia-fora-kato-apo-tis-laspes-ta-nera-i-kerkyra/
