Emergency management

At least three people lost their lives due to floods wreaking havoc in the Central Anatolia Region, as search and rescue teams continue their efforts to find a 3-month-old baby who went missing in the surging floodwaters, Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) has announced.

The destruction brought by the massive wildfire in Greece's northeastern region of Evros is terrifying. 

Obviously, someone is to blame for how a blaze that broke out in such a sensitive area was allowed to turn into an uncontrollable megafire, destroying property and unique natural capital. 

Torrential rain and severe flooding have wreaked havoc in the Black Sea region, prompting urgent responses from local authorities.

Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias is asking regional authorities to make anti-erosion and anti-flood works a top priority following this year's damaging wildfires.

Burnt areas in Greece increased by 270% from the beginning of 2023 until Wednesday, according to the National Observatory of Athens.

Greece's prime minister said on Thursday it would launch drones and install forest temperature sensors to improve preventive firefighting after criticism from climate activists over a devastating wildfire burning for almost two weeks.

The main opposition accused the government on Thursday of leaving Greece "unprepared and lacking" in means to fight the wildfires that have ravaged the country in the last two months.

Fines will be increased and convicted arsonists will have to serve their sentence in jail even in cases of negligence, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday, during a parliamentary debate on the handling of the massive wildfires that have destroyed swathes of forest land in Greece over the past two months.

Preserving forests cannot solely rest on the shoulders of the central government. Local governments must finally rouse themselves. 

The Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection announced on Wednesday a set of measures designed to help the people and regions devastated by the ongoing wildfires in Evros, northeastern Greece.