今も土砂だらけ…ギリシャ洪水被災地、再建急ぐ

【ブロコスＡＦＰ＝時事】暴風雨「ダニエル」に見舞われたギリシャ中部の村ブロコスでは、３週間過ぎた今も大量の土砂が残されたままとなっている。（写真は洪水の被害を受けたギリシャ・ブロコス村の住宅）
　村の住民の男性は、「洪水から救うことができたのは、家族写真と子どものおもちゃ一つだけだった。生まれ育った家に残されたのはこれだけだ」と涙をこらえながら語った。
　ダニエルの影響で１７人が死亡したほか、農業の中心地テッサリアが壊滅的な被害を受けた。
　豪雨による洪水で家畜数万頭が水死。肥料や除草剤、石油などの化学製品を保管していた倉庫が押し流され、水が有毒物質で汚染された。
　家畜の死骸や有毒物質が混ざり汚染された水による悪臭が、辺り一帯に漂っていた。被害を受けた家具や電気製品、衣類などが家々の前に積み上げられていた。
　再建を急ぐブロコスの住民の頭上には、暗雲が立ち込めていた。
　２６日からは別の暴風雨「エリアス」がギリシャを襲い、大雨やみぞれとなる予報が出ている。
　震災後の軍と災害当局間の連携がうまく取れていなかったとの批判が集まったことを受け、政府は被災地再建に２０億ユーロ（約３１５０億円）を拠出すると約束した。
　ブロコスの住民の男性（２７）は、村で生活を立て直すことを心に決めている。
　「ここは私たちが育った場所だ。私たちの村を再建したい。だが当局の支援なしには、ここでの暮らしは取り戻せない」と訴えた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/09/27-15:49）

When Storm Daniel this month dumped cataclysmic amounts of rain on his village in central Greece, Nikos Falangas barely had time to flee.
Three weeks on, with the village of Vlochos still clogged with tonnes of mud, Falangas could only stare dumbstruck at what little remained of his family home.
All I could save was a family photograph and one of my child's toys. This is all that's left of the house where I was born and raised, he told AFP, fighting back tears.
Words cannot describe the tragedy we are going through, he said.
- 'Nothing can be done' -
Eri, an Albanian labourer from a nearby village, was helping to salvage appliances from inside another house.
He noted that at the height of the flood, the water had reached the roofs of the traditional single-storey houses.
That's four metres (13 feet) high, he said. Nothing can be done here.
Most of the villagers had left. The few dozen that remained were sheltering in the local church, which was built on a hill and therefore less at risk of flooding.
The unprecedented storm left 17 dead and devastated the central region of Thessaly, the heart of Greece's agricultural production.
The flood drowned tens of thousands of farm animals whilst also sweeping through warehouses containing fertiliser, weedkillers, petrol and other chemicals, leaving behind a toxic floodwater mix.
Piles of destroyed furniture, appliances and clothes were dumped outside each home as the stench of dead animals and tainted water filled the air.
As the Vlochos villagers struggled to rebuild, dark clouds were gathering overhead.
Lightning streaked through the sky and thick raindrops began to fall.
A new storm front dubbed Elias is expected to hit Greece from Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and sleet.
Facing a barrage of criticism at a perceived failure in cooperation between the army and civil protection in the hours following the disaster, the government has pledged over two billion euros ($2.1 billion) in reconstruction funds.
Dimitris Malai, a 27-year-old trainer, said he was determined to rebuild his life in the village.
This is where we grew up. We want to rebuild our village. But the authorities must do something for us, otherwise life cannot return here, he said.
But some in Vlochos said the state was still conspicuously absent.
No one came to see us, to help. Only some volunteer organisations supported us, said Apostolis Makris, a 62-year-old police officer.
Sending us bottled water is not enough, fumed 68-year-old villager Dimitris Anastasiou.
We had everything and now we have nothing. They are crooks, he said of the government.
His wife Gogo, 65, broke down as they returned to their gutted home.
The memories of an entire life were lost, in addition to our property, she said.
All our family heirlooms, photographs and items of great sentimental value, were destroyed. It's as if a major part of my life was torn out, she said. This is what hurts the most.