Hi all, 
 
I thought to circulate some 'primary sources from the field' that come from a geographer friend in Greece.  
 
This material might not be about the most cutting-edge geographical theory, but I guess the facts described (especially the more specifically political side of it)  are as "geo-graphing"..
 
S.
 
Sara Fregonese
School of Geography,
Newcastle University 
Daysh Building 
NE1 7RU, UK
Tel. 0044 (0)191 2228510
E-mail [log in to unmask]
 
 
 
*** Sunday August 26th, 2007***
 
I experience very brief power cuts in Athens as well.

My friend [...] who works in power production told me that
yesterday we avoided a black out in Athens. He worked overnight in
Laurio (suburbs of Athens) just to manage solve the problem in the
power factory. But government didn't announce anything about this
incident.
In Athens is currently raining ash and the nearby mountain of Aigaleo
is not visible at all. The smoke comes from Evia island who is on fire
also.

My sister managed to travel from Kalamata to Athens earlier today and
she told me that in a distance of 100 km (outside Kalamata to
Megalopolis) she saw only burned fields and trees.

Now the fire has surrounded ancient Olympia and I am afraid that it is
going to be burned this night. Also a new fire is now spreading in a
pine tree forest towards Epidavros.

Earlier a video showing 2 people setting the fire that burned Ymittos
mountain in Athens yesterday has been shown on tv. It has been shot by
pure chance by a man who was videotaping the mountain view minutes
before the fire.

I watched the fire brigade briefing earlier and the men talking were
not able to give information about fire and placenames and they looked
tired. That was not the case yesterday.

I think the situation is completely out of control. Every ten minutes
people trapped in villages call in tv channels and ask desperately for
help to evacuate the villages or send some force. Officials can't
respond. Fire machines do not appear in a village for hours ...

Earlier I saw the mayor of Pyrgos (Capital of Hleia prefecture) crying
and breaking his mobile phone At the time being 150 people are traped
in a village near ancient Olympia but the army helicopters can't land
because it is surrounded by fire.

I have never expected to see such images and devastation. Hundreds of
houses completely destroyed. Fields completely destroyed. Burned
people. 51 dead.
 
 
***Monday August 27th, 2007***
 
I will try to create a few maps as well, but here I am completely
disorganized. I came in Greece for holidays and I am trapped in Athens
watching news 18 hours a day ...

By the way here people start follow the official story (set yesterday
by the government) which is that this is an asymmetrical attack
(perhaps Turkish agents who set fires), but personally I laugh in such
stories. If someone see thermal satellite images, he/she will realize
that the same number of fires have been started in Italy or Croatia,
or even Albania. The difference is that the emergency response
mechanism didn't work at all in Greece. All fires managed to spread
while the fire brigade and officials didn't move quickly so as to put
them down on time (before they become enormous).

Ancient Olympia in fact has been destroyed despite of what
international media says. The place has been burned. Only the museum
and parts of the archaeological site have been survived but Ancient
Olympia is also the site, a site of unique beauty.

110 villages have been evacuated only in Hleia prefecture and the
problem is that their fields, olive groves etc have been completely
destroyed and basically these people can't survive on their lands.

 
V.V. (Athens)