Some 8 to 10 thousands households in northern Athens and the region of Attica remain without power on Thursday noon, many of them since Monday night. In addition, many have no water as the supply is directly connected to electricity operation.
Furthermore, fallen trees on roads and vehicles and electricity cables hanging loose make it difficult for residents of these areas to leave their homes for supplies, even though snow fall stopped since the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Many households have elderly in need of mechanical devises, and some have children who are sick.
Fire Service, police and army launched a big operation to transport a family with a child to hospital. The child has developed high fever. The roads in Drosia, some 10 km from the center of Athens, were still snowed in on Thursday morning.
Footage at the end of the video
Local and regional authorities, as well power grid operator blame snow weather Medea and the massive snowfalls on Monday and Tuesday that loaded trees with snow and the weight brought them down, often on power poles.
During the worst part of the storm, a total of 70,000 households in Attica and 15,000 in the island of Evia were left without power and some without water.
The problem has been resolved for thousands of households in both regions by Wendesday night, with grind operator DEDIE workers to work non-stop. In addition, 50 officers of the Armed Forces, 40 members of the Special Disaster Unit (EMAK), all regional units of the Fire Service had been mobilized to remove fallen trees and restore power lines in the region of Attica.
In a statement issued at 4 pm on thursday, DEDIE said that power has been restored in Ekali, Dionyssos, Agios Stefanos, Kryoneri, Anoixi, Drosia and Kalamos and that estimated 7,000 households remain without electricity.
Yet, media report that in some areas it will take until the end of the week until electricity has returned to every home in Attica.
the snow weather revealed the chronic diseases of the Greek state, the problems infrastructure, jurisdiction of state and local bodies and the usual ping-pong of responsibilities.
Power grid operator DEDIE, power company PPC, local and regional authorities blame each other for the damages.
PPC workers blame the personnel shortages of the last few years; local authorities say they are not responsible to prune trees along the electricity cables and “anyway whole tree fell down”; DEDIE says municipalities had to cut tree branches and the regional government accuses DEDIE of absence of maintenance.
The government spokesman said “responsibilities will be attributed once the problem is solved.”
The official government narrative is that this was the worst snowfall in the last 40 years – so Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
PS It looks that the debate in the next 40 years will be: who is responsible to prune trees along the power cables.
The P.S. at the end of your posts always make me laugh – thank you.