First of all I want to thank everyone of you who have expressed concern about the situation on my island and about my wellbeing and safety.
From the heart, thank you!
Now… I have read all sorts in the press, some of it is true, some is exaggerated and some is simply untrue.
Therefore I decided to write this piece today about what I have been experiencing over the last few days and reassure you…
We have experienced hundreds of tremors over the last days, since the last week-end. That is true. The strongest ones were around 5.3 Richter, which is still considered a “mild” earthquake. We feel it, of course we do, but so far, it hasn’t caused any damage to our house, objects have not been falling off shelves and our cats – we have adopted 6 rescue kittens – our cats show no sign of acting any differently than usual.
Contrary to what has been said in the press, not everything is closed, far from it. Schools are closed, but most shops, supermarkets and restaurants are open as usual. Of course, some precautions are taken: for example the supermarkets leave their doors “blocked” in open position, so that people can get out easily if needed. Nobody wants a stampede… We also have been asked to avoid big gatherings, beaches and cliffs in case tectonic movements would cause a tsunami or a landslide. Nets are installed on the slopes of some of our cliffs to “contain” possible falling rocks.
Contrary to what has been said in the press, we are not sleeping in our cars. We are sleeping in our beds. We just have things at the ready, warm clothes, water etc … IN CASE we would be forced to leave our houses.
The island authorities have contingency and evacuation plans. We have been informed where we should go in case the island needs to be evacuated. Tents have been installed in some areas deemed safe, in case we have to leave our houses. The army is at the ready, with dogs trained to “find” people trapped in rubble.
It IS true that Fira and Oia are empty … but then they are always empty at this season. Most shops are closed, and very few tourists apartments are occupied in winter even on a normal year. Believe me, when the wind is blowing here, like it is today, it’s really bitter cold and most tourists accommodations are not equipped for that cold.
It IS true that many have left the island. Many of the workers who work on construction sites are not Greek. The majority of them have left. All construction sites are at a stop of course, and more than just a few of those guys are not quite in a “legal” situation. A lot of Santorini inhabitants who have a condo in Athens, have gone there, especially those with children. But not all of them, far from it. Over the last two days, the open air playground in our village was vibrant with children playing and having fun. And many of those people who left now consider coming back because they have work to do, they need to earn money and their business is on the island.
From what we know, the seismic activity is cause by tectonic mouvements in an area NE of the island, under the sea, between Santorini and Amorgos. There is a tectonic “fault” there and it’s “moving”. It’s the same phenomenon that caused the major earthquake in 1956. That one caused a lot of destruction, especially right on top of the caldera in Imerovigli. Since that disaster however, the houses that have been built or rebuilt for the inhabitants, have been made to comply to the highest anti-seismic security norms, It’s the case for my house. I’m not so sure though about some of the cheap constructions built to hosts tourists during the season…
Could the tectonic activity “wake up” the volcanos, Nea Kameni in Santorini and Koloumbo under water? It IS a possibility but it IS unlikely.
There … I hope this will reassure most of you.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
That’s all very soothing, and welcome, but there are two items (at least) missing, which give rise to serious worries.
First, the construction industry in Greece is monumentally corrupt. Corrupt not just occasionally, here or there sometimes, but corruption is part of the industry’s DNA, all in the service of the parasitic tourism industry. Complementary to that, enforcement by the authorities, namely to ensure compliance with building standards, such as they are, is virtually non-existent. That’s demonstrated by millions of buildings without a permit, and the number of demolishments (as would be required) in the single digits. No kidding. The assumption that this industry is generally, much less invariably, complying with earthquake protection standards, is optimistic, to tell the least. I was actually surprised that, as of now, I haven’t read about collapsing structures. That has to do with the fact, as Monique describes, that the tremors hardly were more severe than at 5 on the Richter scale. That leads us to…
Second, what we’ve seen so far in terms of tremors is likely mere foreplay. The “big one”, when the tectonic plates ultimately snap into their new positions, is yet to come. Or so seismologists tell us. These are expected every 50 years or so, and, since the last one was in 1956 (7.7, more than 100 times stronger than what we’ve seen so far), the “big one” (their term, not mine) is actually overdue.
Will the big one come? No one can tell. But, it doesn’t take much imagination to paint a picture of corruption and lax enforcement in conjunction with a major earthquake. So, I wouldn’t quite call this off, and I’m still worried. That applies to Santorini in particular, since much construction in recent years took place on steep slopes and on ground that was not super-stable to begin with. Cutting a construction place into these slopes further destabilizes the whole thing, of course. So, higher-up neighbors might eventually have an unexpected meeting with neighbors further down the slope.
Seriously though, be on the look out.
You are right about the construction industry that is busy with the touristic business. But when the house is built by a skilled local builder, for members of his own family, it’s a different matter. That’s the case with the house we have now. It was built for a son and his family. The said son unfortunately passed away in an accident. The widow didn’t want to stay in Santorini … The father, the builder, is still here and even made some transformations for us. The very fact that my husband’s family is from the island helps of course.
Your Infos about you house are reassuring at least. Nevertheless take care and hopefully the “big one” will never occur. Thinking and praying for you and your loved ones (with two and four legs!),
Dear Monique, many thanks for your detailed report about the actual situation in Santorini. Since I heard about those earthquakes I’ve often been thinking of you, wondering and hoping you’re well. So I very much appreciate your first-hand-informations. Hopefully the situation will steady soon. Take good care of you and your husband … and of course of the cats. They certainly are reliable messengers of any danger, even earlier than any seismograph.
Thank you for giving us a summary of the situation and reliable info. Hope that volcano never reacts to these earthquakes and you and your loved ones will be safe. Take care
thank you , it’s a lot better description than all the alarmist sensational pieces. Take good care of yourself and the cats. ❤️