Alert fatigue prevails in Santorini

Island residents affected by constant tremors, try to tune out rumors of disasters to come

Santorini is still being rocked by strong quakes. And those few left on the island are getting tired of the constant state of emergency. Tired also of the diet of constant fearmongering served by the media, of an imminent huge tremor or of the reawakening of the island’s volcano that, around 1600 BC, produced one of the most massive explosions humanity has ever witnessed.

Most earthquake experts say that, while a very strong tremor is still a possibility, it will be nothing like the 7.7 earthquake that hit the vicinity in 1956, the strongest shock that Greece, a place used to strong tremors, witnessed in the 20th century. As for the volcano, an eruption in the next few thousand years is considered unlikely.

But scientific consensus does not deter those prone to sensational predictions, including some from within the community of seismologists, one known to harbor some heated and vocal dissenters.

The family of Vassilis Tsatsanidis, a diving instructor, does not listen to the Athens TV channels, but to local Volcano TV, as well as the local radio. Volcano TV’s anchor is local, says Tsatsanidis, and must be credible with the locals. Therefore, he speaks in measured tones.

The family’s two boys, ages 12 and 8, do their school lessons over Zoom and the cellphone. Out of the oldest ones’ class of 25, only three are still on the island. Last week, a classmate joined the Zoom sessions from the city of Arta, in the northwest region of Epirus, and another from Albania.

More than 10,000 people have left the island, most of them not originally from it, the stay-behinds say. But with them, many craftsmen and other professionals left. Authorities have stopped house renovations on buildings built, with a variety of adherence to safety rules, on the steep cliffs of the island’s caldera, the largely submerged volcano’s crater. And even where works are permitted, projects have stalled and there is nervousness about whether the island will be ready for the upcoming tourist season.

Seismologist Kostas Papazachos says the “danger fatigue” of Santorini residents reminds him of the Covid pandemic. And the locals say they are prone to panic attacks when one of the frequent tremors hits. But they also try to cope by playing a sort of sweepstakes on how strong an earthquake has been. They have got pretty good at it, too.

Source: ekathimerini.com