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WASHINGTON, DC The American
Hellenic Institute (AHI) expresses
its sincerest condolences to the families of those who were lost during the
tragic wave of forest fires that afflicted Greece in late August 2007. AHI sadly
regrets the catastrophic ecological damage and loss of property and livestock,
the effects of which will be felt for decades to come.
To help address the longer-term environmental
issue that poses a tremendous threat to both the people and ecology of Greece,
AHI is launching a fundraising effort targeted specifically at reforestation of
the affected land. All proceeds will be contributed to the Plant Your Roots in Greece Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, tax exempt organization
under the auspices of the Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE)/USA and the Hellenic
American National Council (HANC) that has been active over the past ten years.
The American Hellenic Institute’s Advisory Committee has already committed a sum
of $10,000 to launch this effort.
The devastation in Greece is a catastrophe of
over 800,000 acres, said Ted G. Spyropoulos, president of the Plant Your Roots
in Greece Foundation and coordinator of SAE/USA. This vast fire catastrophe
that has happened will also affect the climate of Greece. It is so important in
the next few years for everyone to think about that and to support our efforts
to reforest Greece not only in the Peloponnese, but also in the area surrounding
Athens that happened in July, and in the center of Greece, he
continued.
According to Greek firefighting authorities, the
2007 wildfire season was the worst on record. In late August alone, fires that
swept across the Peloponnese and in Evia killed 66 people, bringing the total
number of deaths for 2007 to 76. The U.S. Agency for International Development
estimates that from August 23 to August 31, more than 130 fires broke out in the
Peloponnese alone, including 82 blazes between August 23 and 25. The number of
homes and buildings destroyed or damaged in August is estimated to range from
1,700 to 4,000, with thousands of livestock also perishing.
In terms of real numbers, initial estimates put
damage to cattle and agricultural capital at around $2 billion, with total costs
expected to rise above $5.4 billion. Gross domestic product is also expected to
drop by between 0.2 percent and 0.5 percent over the next two to four years.
AHI’s recommendation to fund reforestation aims
to address the significant longer term needs of the people of Greece as the
ecological and environmental damage from the loss of such an extensive number of
trees will adversely impact Greece’s economy while also raising important health
and public safety concerns. |
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