Quake on Santorini

Automatically saved draft

Born in Upper Austria, Christa Braziotis lost her heart to Santorini back in 1979.(Bild: zVg)

Things have been rumbling under Santorini for weeks. Many residents have left the island, an Upper Austrian woman is holding the fort.

More than four decades have passed since Christa Braziotis first set foot on Santorini and lost her heart to the enchanting island in the Aegean Sea. Back then, the island was a very different place. It was much quieter - today it is a tourist magnet.

It has been bubbling for weeks: A dance on the volcano
But since the end of January, the island has seemed almost deserted. As reported, many of the 16,000 or so regular residents have left their homes, "especially families with small children", Braziotis (81) explains in an interview with the Krone. The Schwanenstadt native not only runs a small room rental business here, she is also an animal rights activist. The association she works for neuters strays and finds homes for stray dogs abroad.

A picture of the enchanting Mediterranean island as you rarely see it - yawning emptiness instead of crowded alleyways and bars(Bild: APA/AFP/STRINGER)

Many turned their backs on their homeland
After numerous islanders were forced to flee their homes, many pets were left behind - and on their own. But for a few days now, a gentle light of hope has been shining on the horizon of the island paradise - the intensity of the earthquakes has eased considerably. "The earth will calm down," says Braziotis confidently. In the past three weeks, seismologists have registered more than 20,000 (!) quakes, although the majority were not even felt by people.

In any case, the Greek government has taken measures for a possible strong quake. "There are assembly points, the military is here with water, food and generators," says Braziotis, "fortunately the volcano is also behaving calmly." The tourism industry in particular is hoping for more good news to save the coming summer season.