Santorini entered a state of emergency last Thursday (6 February) after a 5.2-scale earthquake coursed through the Greek island the day before. This latest quake comes on the heels of hundreds of light tremors, which occurred every few minutes in the days preceding Thursday.
As informed by the Greek Civil Protection Ministry, the island will remain under a state of emergency until 3 March to respond to the seismic activity while they respond to the seismic activity. Greece’s Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization has estimated that the intense seismic activity may continue for many more days, if not weeks.
Rémy Bossu, Secretary-General of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, said “days, or perhaps, weeks” would be needed to evaluate the unusual tremors but that a series of quakes typically occur in the build-up to a larger tremor.
Currently, approximately 11,000 people have vacated Santorini, almost emptying the tourist hotspot. Annually, the island sees more than 3.4 million tourists and is home to some 20,000 permanent residents.
Meanwhile, Greek authorities have arranged additional flights to help people flee to the safety of the mainland, but evacuation efforts were complicated on Wednesday, with ferries not allowed to leave the ports due to high winds. Normal service had resumed by Thursday. No major damage has yet been reported but Greek authorities are taking precautions ahead of a potentially large-scale earthquake.
Santorini last suffered a major earthquake in 1956, which caused significant damage to both islands and triggered a 25m-high tsunami.