Tourists flee but resilient locals stay happymamay

On a quiet summer day in Santorini in July 1956, the earth turned against its people.

“I remember our dog and a bird behave strangely. Then, hitting the earthquake,” 83 -year -old Irene Mindino recalls. “The house was divided before closing again. By cracking on the roof, I could see the sky.”

The 7.8 -year -old earthquake, which struck Santorini and the nearby passion of Amorgos, destroyed most of the island, and after 12 minutes of finishing the rest of Little. Fifty -three people died. The island, then just a quiet hunting village, was scars and its people fled.

It is completely different today, as it was rebuilt to one of the most tourist destinations in Greece – but this week, another mass migration was revealed. The microscopic tremors that started in June 2024 ConvertSome exceed 4.0 on the Richter scale, shake homes and hit the island’s residents. Families who are accelerating to leave through the air and sea, and seek desperate to rest as the earth shook again.

But not everyone flee. Those who still show the mix of courage, necessity and deep contact with the land that came to identify the locals on this island. They bear nights without sleep, haunted by the memories of the past and are not known for what has not yet come.

“The noise of the earthquake, and voices [other people’s] The houses are disintegrated – it’s unbearable. “Even in my house, it has become overwhelming. I cannot leave my house, and I cannot leave the people who remained behind,” says Margareta Karameligco, a local businesswoman.

This flexibility is not new. People have been appointed on both social change – 3.4 million visited Al -Jazeera last year, according to mayor Nikos Zorzos – seismic transformations. Now, as always, they met together in solidarity.

“We are doing our best to support the weak,” says Matthaios Fytros, a local volunteer and merchant. “People with disabilities, the elderly – are struggling to wrap, and their homes are difficult to reach. If a large earthquake strikes, I know exactly where they live, and I will reach them as quickly as possible, along with firefighters.”

Matthaios and others are patrolling the island, ensuring that abandoned real estate is not looted and helps anyone in need. “I am not afraid,” he says with a quiet conviction. “We are proud of our island. I just hope everything will succeed and this ordeal ends soon. We will be happy to return our visitors with us.”

The state’s response was fast, while taking measures to address the crisis. Under the gratitude of the government’s intervention, however, it is still a calm bitterness. Many of the island’s residents remember the years in which no of the islands residents have heard of their eyesight about better infrastructure and support.

“For years, we were asking a better outlet, something to help us manage the increasing number of tourists,” says Margareta, whose voice is frustrated. “We need help in maintaining the identity of the island – its unique environment, the seismic and volcanic powers that it forms. We are grateful to tourists, but we also need to protect what makes Santorini distinctive.”

Tourism has become a lifestyle for Santorini’s economy. The island contributes about 2.5 % in Greek GDP, about 5.9 billion euros (4.9 billion pounds) every year.

As the tremors continue, the future of Santorini’s economy is still inaccurate. Will you stand up to its prosperity, the land of shaking? The Santorini people fear that the fragility of the island may soon extend beyond the Earth.

“I regret the development of the island with high tourism,” says Erini, who is temporary in Athens, is not out of fear, but for routine medical tests: “We have harmed the natural environment here. Now, with continued earthquakes, there is a real danger that we may lose the entire tourism season.”

Scientists may not know when shaking will stop, but instead of fear of fear, some residents chose to understand this phenomenon, in the hope that reassurance will bring them in the face of the unknown.

“I am trying to think about what is happening gently,” says Margarita. “It seems that something is settling there. All we admire in Santorini today – beauty, character – formed by the volcano and his seismic forces.”

“We are the most beloved islands,” says Matius, his pride. “I think we are the most beautiful islands in Greece. We will come out of this stronger.”