It is on track for implementation Pilot Program for Ithacawith the commissioning and start of preparation of the studies for the anti-flood and anti-fire protection of the island, as announced today in the context of a special event in Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection The Minister Christos Stylianidis.

The event was held in the presence of the Deputy Minister Evangelos Tournas and the General Secretary of Civil Protection Vasilios Papageorgiou and was attended by the Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands Rodi Kratsa – Tsagaropoulou, the Prefect of Ithaca Athanasios Livitsanis and the Mayor of Ithaca Dionysios Stanitsas.

The scientific team that will oversee the preparation of the studies also participated, as well as officials from the Technical Service of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection who make up the relevant project team.

The Pilot Program for Ithaca aims to create an integrated plan for the preventive reduction of the risk of the island’s settlements from forest fires and floods. This is the first armoring program for a small island in our country. A program that is holistic in its approach, based on the triptych “Prevention – Preparation/Readiness – Resilience”, which aims to be a model plan for the armoring of the small municipalities of the island country.

“Today is an important day for our Ithaca and for us here at the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. The first pilot program to strengthen the resilience of the small islands of our homeland is taking shape. A Program that had from the first moment the absolute support of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis” said Mr. Stylianidis at the start of the event.

“We are starting today from Ithaca and our will is for the Program to expand in the future to any other island that exhibits high levels of risk. Because the islands are the wealth of our homeland” said the Minister, underlining that the regional and local authorities have been valuable helpers in the great effort that has been made. “On the occasion of this Program, we found out once again at the Ministry that Civil Protection without local Self-Government does not exist,” he said.

Concluding his presentation, the Minister emphasized that the goal is to have continuity. “We are all making a promise today from here at the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection that this project will not remain in the studies. At least I personally make that promise. Wherever I am, to support this project because I believe in it. And if possible, to have support from European funding” he concluded.

For her part, the Regional Governor of the Ionian Islands, Mrs. Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, pointed out that the initiative for Ithaca “will be a great capital of security not only for Ithaca itself”. “We want this intervention to be exemplary. Not only for our Region, because we have other small islands with similar conditions, but overall for our country and for the European Union,” he noted.

The Mayor of Ithaki, Mr. Stanitsas, underlined the excellent and effective cooperation that existed from the very beginning, both with the Ministry and the Region, and referring to the study, he said: “We are in daily communication with the scientific team that has undertaken to do this the difficult study. And I want to say that we, as the Municipality of Ithaca, will be by your side for whatever you need in order to complete this study and, most importantly, to put it into practice, as the Minister rightly pointed out.”