Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07ATHENS1342
2007-07-02 04:32:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Athens
Cable title:  

GREECE: FOREST FIRES, BRUTAL HEATWAVE TAKE TOLL

Tags:  PGOV PREL SOCI GR 
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VZCZCXRO0577
PP RUEHIK RUEHYG
DE RUEHTH #1342/01 1830432
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 020432Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9599
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001342 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI GR
SUBJECT: GREECE: FOREST FIRES, BRUTAL HEATWAVE TAKE TOLL


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ATHENS 001342

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL SOCI GR
SUBJECT: GREECE: FOREST FIRES, BRUTAL HEATWAVE TAKE TOLL



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: An eight-day heat wave and onslaught of
rural fires destroyed the old-growth Mt. Parnitha National
Forest in Attica, as well as other swaths of precious forest
resources throughout Greece. In the face of at least nine
deaths, critics have called the government "confused" and
"spinning its wheels." The timing of the natural disaster
bodes badly for the government if elections are held in
September, as is widely expected. END SUMMARY.

ECOLOGICAL DISASTER
--------------


2. (U) On June 28, the last day of an eight-day heat wave
that saw temperatures climb as high as 115 degrees, an
enormous wildfire erupted in the protected national forest of
Mt. Parnis (aka Mt. Parnitha),the last remaining substantial
patch of solid forest in the greater Athens metropolitan
area. Sheets of fine ash descended on most parts of the
region, including areas as far as the city center and on the
seacoast, both more than 30 kilometers from the fire site.


3. (U) The June 28 inferno was far more disastrous
ecologically than previous forest fires in the region,
eradicating forest zones that were hundreds of years old.
Such was the intensity of the blaze, with flames reportedly
shooting to a height of six yards, that helicopters had to
evacuate Mt. Parnis Hellenic Air Force radar station -- never
before abandoned under such circumstances.


4. (U) The Mt. Parnis fire was only one of the estimated 130
wildfires around Greece. On the island of Poros, a short
distance from the port of Piraeus, residents mourned the loss
of the island's Neorion pine forest and blamed sparks from
power lines for igniting the blaze. In Larissa, central
Greece, firefighters discovered the bodies of two local men,
caught by flames while crossing a burning area. On Mt.
Pelion, one of the most picturesque mountain areas in all of
Greece, near the city of Volos, at least three separate fire
fronts were consuming the thick forest on the eastern slope
and threatening four villages.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE
--------------


5. (SBU) The Karamanlis government appeared overwhelmed by
the fire and heatwave crisis. Media reports spoke of
"confused" ministers and a cabinet "spinning its wheels."
Thousands of angry Athens consumers derided power outages -)
some lasting up to 23 hours -- as the electricity grid nearly
buckled under record-breaking loads required to keep air
conditioning units working in the scorching heat. At least
nine deaths were directly attributed to the heat as hundreds
of cases of heat stroke clogged hospitals. As if to add salt
to the injury, a June 28 explosion and fire at a DEI (the
state-controlled power company) sub-station in Thessaloniki
left large parts of Greek Macedonia and Thrace without
electricity for the better part of the day.

PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND
--------------


6. (SBU) While opposition parties attacked the government for
"abandoning" the country at a time of crisis, the causes of
this ecological catastrophe lie in the perennial lack of
planning and under-funding of key preparedness areas,
irrespective of the political party in power. The crucial
weaknesses of the state monopolistic power company have been
no secret for years. At the peak of the crisis, DEI was
reportedly recalling recently retired technical personnel to
plug manpower gaps not being filled due to budget
constraints. In addition to its antiquated equipment and
poor maintenance, Greece's power generating problem, despite
warnings that span several decades, remains unchanged. The
bulk of demand comes from the south of the country. The bulk
of generating capacity remains in the north, thus requiring
expensive and inefficient methods of transferring power to
consumers. The Greek Fire Brigade, conceived as a city
firefighting force, has been saddled in recent years with the
responsibility of forest firefighting throughout the country,
a task that is stretching its manpower and technical
capacities to the limits.


7. (SBU) COMMENT: Greek pundits claim the June 2007 heat
wave, power interruptions, and forest fires may have caused
as much as a billion euros in damage to the Greek economy
through lost man-hours, spoiled foodstuffs, damage to
equipment, lost tourism, and costs of reforestation. The
Karamanlis government could suffer at a time when polls speak
of voter dissatisfaction with the economy and the overall
performance of the public sector. If early elections do come

ATHENS 00001342 002 OF 002


in late September, as most observers believe, Karamanlis
could feel an additional singe from dissatisfied voters.
COUNTRYMAN