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Victoria Mindova

The earthquake in Japan, the subsequent tsunami, the human and material devastation stopped the breath of everyone on the planet who saw the picture of nature’s elements in action. Humanity is never ready to face such a tragedy, but that does not mean that we should not strive for the most modern practices of training in emergency response conditions.

In Greece, the Minister of Education Anna Diamadopoulou met with representatives of the Commission for Atomic Energy in Greece who confirmed the data submitted by global experts that it is not about a major nuclear crisis in the nuclear power plant in Fukushima but about controlled action without serious consequences for world climate. "The problem is local, but it is followed closely," they said from the commission and called for calmness.

GRReporter, in turn, decided to contact the Institute for Seismic Protection and Planning, to understand what seismic practices are known in Greece, how people are trained what to do in strong earthquakes, and to learn what a "seismic or earthquake simulator" is. The Director of the Institute Nikitas Papadopoulos was polite enough to answer all our questions.

Are there places where people can experience artificial earthquakes of different magnitudes? What is their purpose?

They are called seismic simulators and there are two such centres in Greece. One of them is located at the PolytechnicUniversity in Athens where earthquakes with different force are simulated for educational and scientific purposes and it serves mainly experiments relating to construction reliability. The other earthquake simulator is in the Renti municipality in the town of Piraeus which is open to citizens and school groups. In this way children in their early age can understand what an earthquake is and what measures should be taken.

It is known that Greece is a seismic zone. What are the practices to ensure the reliable construction of buildings and are these requirements met?

The Greek seismic law first came into force in 1959. Then the legislation and rules for construction were updated in 1984. After little more than a decade in 1995, the law was updated according to recent studies and parameters from the U.S. and the Japanese seismic experience were included in it. The last two updates to the seismic law were made in 2000 and 2004 after the experience and experts’ findings in the devastating earthquake in Athens in 1999.

Earthquake zones in Greece are divided into three since then. The first is near the Ionian Islands. It is the most dangerous with the possibility of the strongest earthquakes. The other two areas are in mainland Greece. Construction in different areas is consistent with the seismic hazard of these areas. The law on antiseismic construction is extremely rigid and there is stringent control.  

What are the training programs on the security of citizens during an earthquake?

The national defence program includes three different educational programs - for students, teachers and university professors. Educational programs in the centres of local government for officials from all levels as well as for ordinary citizens are held in parallel. After the last serious earthquake we observe a more serious approach to educational programs and we can say that citizens have better seismic culture.

Can you tell us a few tips, what to do when there is an earthquake?

More can be done prior to the earthquake than when it starts. First, there must be a prepared plan for emergencies - the fuses to turn off the electricity must be easily accessible, the same applies to the control panel for the gas supply if the building uses gas. Battery-powered radio set and flashlight will also be useful as well as a small bag (like the one in the car) with first aid medical supplies. All these things must be easily accessible and in familiar places in the house so that one can quickly take them if necessary.
 
During the earthquake, people should be extremely careful not to move chaotically and avoid places such as stairs, elevators and balconies. The two most secure places are the door frame or under the table. After the earthquake stops, people have time to go out and move away from built-up areas and go to a place without electricity poles around, because they can be extremely dangerous in such cases. It is important to note that when leaving the building people had better choose the stairs rather than elevators. If there are serious consequences, the emergency forces will evacuate them.

Do you think the Balkans and Greece in particular are sheltered from scenarios similar to the Japanese one?

If we talk about tsunami, it is difficult to occur because the sea of ​​Greece geographically is much more enclosed and is not bordered by an ocean like in Japan. There is evidence that there was tsunami on our territory in the Mediterranean region both in ancient and in modern times, mainly in southern regions. Even if there is a tsunami it will be much smaller than the one we witnessed. The only place where a small tsunami can form is where the Eurasian plate and that of Africa meet.

Is there a possibility an earthquake with magnitude of nine on the Richter scale to be registered in Greece, similar to that in Japan?

According to surveys of seismologists, there is no basis for such a serious earthquake.

Was the earthquake in 1999 the worst in Greece?