Autumn Sanders

Geog. 201

Fall 2022

Unnatural Disasters in Greece

Greece, located in South-Eastern Europe, is subject to several types of natural hazards. The most
notable natural hazard in the region is seismic activity; the area has a high earthquake
classification, with a 20% prediction that there will be a major earthquake within 50 years
(thinkhazard.org). Greece is the most seismically active country in Europe, due to the fact that it
is on the overlapping African and Eurasian tectonic
plates, creating the volatile Agean plate (Img. 1).
Looking at the map I created (linked at the end of the
page), you can see the over-representation of the
Agean region for earthquakes of 8 and above on the
Mercalli scale. Greek earthquakes can have
detrimental effects, as seen in image 3 of the 2017
earthquake on Lesbos (NYT) (below, left).

Due to the high possibility of

earthquakes, public resources
intended to educate citizens are posted in workplaces and schools, such
as Image 2 (to the right) (OASP). Although this isn't a plan in which
actual government officials will come in and make efforts to save
people, these materials may be useful during an earthquake, especially
with the use of images,
which may help spread
the information to
non-Greeks and people
who have difficulties
reading.

Greece prepares to inform its citizens of

impending earthquakes through the Geodynamic
Institute of the National Observatory of Athens.
The institute has seismographs to measure ground movement throughout nearly all of mainland
Greece as well as the Cycladic islands- they collect movement data to then distribute to the
Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. In the case of a severe earthquake, the ministry
can alert citizens and allow them to prepare for the event (Civilprotection.gr).

Link to map:
https://us.kritik.io/course/631270c694a200e5e4186d72/assignment/63442548315b0022aec00c34
#:~:text=0.01%20mb-,ArcGIS%2DMyMap.html,-0.03%20mb

WORKS CITED

“Greece- Think Hazard.” Think Hazard - Greece - Earthquake,

https://thinkhazard.org/en/report/97-greece/EQ#:~:text=In%20the%20area%20you%20hav
e,in%20the%20next%2050%20years.

Kitsantonis, Niki. “Greece Declares Emergency after Earthquake Hits Lesbos.” The New
York Times, The New York Times, 13 June 2017,
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/world/europe/greece-earthquake-lesbos.html.

“ΟΑΣΠ ΚΑΙ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑΚΟΙ ΧΩΡΟΙ.” Αρχική, https://www.oasp.gr/node/4411.

“Civil Protections Climate Crisis.” Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection,
https://www.civilprotection.gr/en.