24 hours after the terrible earthquake of magnitude 7.0 that yesterday struck off the island of Samos, the damage count begins, while the seismic swarm continues unabated. Unfortunately, two Greek teenagers lost their lives during the collapse of a building, and about ten injured were identified.
The team of Still I Rise and the students attending Mazì educational center are fortunately unharmed: the staff responded promptly to the emergency, securing everyone on a hill on the island. After the earthquake, a small tsunami was recorded, and the alert is still high, so altitudes are currently the best places to seek shelter. The staff spent the night outside, sleeping in makeshift tents, while children and teenagers stayed at the refugee camp, which is also located on an elevated area of the island.
Although at a first brief inspection it seemed that the school had only superficially resented the effects of the earthquake, the sunlight has unfortunately revealed a very different reality: the structure is severely damaged, is currently unusable and, as soon as the seismic danger has subsided, it will have to face a rehabilitation intervention before it can reopen its doors to the teenage refugees of the island.
«We are absolutely relieved and grateful that all our staff and students are well», says Giulia Cicoli, Programs & Advocacy Director at Still I Rise. «We are very saddened by the death of the two teenagers: all our thoughts go out to their families and friends. There is a lot of damage to homes and stores: we will all face many difficulties during the reconstruction. We will see how to proceed in the next days and weeks». (Press Release)
