Greece declared a state of emergency in the municipality of Santorini on Thursday, due to the ongoing earthquakes in the area.
The state of emergency will apply from February 1, 2025, until March 3, 202,5 and aims to deal with the emergency needs and manage the repercussions of the seismic activity.
The announcement by Greece’s Civil Protection Ministry states: “We are deciding to declare a State of Civil Protection Emergency in the Municipality of Thera, of the Thera Regional Unit of the South Aegean Region, in order to deal with the emergency needs and handle the repercussion that have arisen as a result of the seismic activity occurring in the above area over the recent period.”
It adds that the state of emergency will last for a period of one month, at which it will automatically expire (on March 3) without the need for any further document to declare it ended.
Strongest earthquake yet near Santorini
A strong earthquake of 5.2 magnitude on the Richter scale was recorded at 21:09 on Wednesday by the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens. The epicenter of the earthquake is located in the sea area, 16 kilometers south-southwest of Arkesini, Amorgos. This is the strongest tremor recorded in the area so far.
A total of 6,400 earthquakes were registered at the Santorini and Amorgos islands region between January 26 and February 3, the University of Athens’ Interdisciplinary Committee of Handling Threats and Crises said on Wednesday.
According to an updated analysis of seismic activity up to February 3, over 1,300 earthquakes occurred on February 2 and over 1,400 on February 3.
Greece concerned about the impact on tourism
Meanwhile, the Greek Tourism Ministry is reportedly preparing response plans to address a potential impact on tourism following the series of earthquakes affecting the islands of Santorini, Amorgos, Ios, and Anafi.
According to a report by OT.gr, Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni led an emergency meeting at Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) headquarters in Athens this week. The meeting focused on strategies to manage information dissemination for international markets regarding the seismic activity in the Aegean Sea around Santorini.
OT.gr reports that tour operators and cruise companies are closely monitoring the situation and have not yet made any changes to itineraries.
The report also confirms that, so far, no pre-booking cancellations have been made by European markets for any of the affected islands. The ministry noted that travel services providers in key tourism markets, including Scandinavia, the UK, and Germany, continue to observe developments, but no disruptions in travel plans have been reported.
Approximately 5 to 10 percent of Santorini’s hotels remain open during this period.
At least 10,000 left Santorini
On Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appealed to islanders and travelers to remain calm and cooperate with the authorities.
At least 10,000 people have evacuated from the island in recent days fearing a strong earthquake. Most businesses have shut down, and airlines and ferry operators have increased the number of departures to accommodate the fleeing population.
Authorities have introduced safety measures, including halting construction, shutting schools on Santorini and the nearby islands of Ios, Amorgos and Anafi, and ordering residents and hotels to empty their pools to reduce the burden on the ground.