By Nikolas Bardis

It was September 2023 when the bad weather Daniel hit Thessaly irreparably, submerging many villages and towns in the plain. Three of them were Ermitsi, Palamas and Vlochos Karditsas.

The downpour was so great that the houses were submerged under the water and the inhabitants, in order to be saved, climbed onto the roofs and roofs, waiting for help. One person died from that bad weather. Significant damage was also caused in Larissa, Trikala, Volos and Pelion, while the national highway Athens – Thessaloniki was closed, as a result of which the country was “cut” in two.

The next day, the drones flying over the Thessalian plain broadcast an eerie image. The whole area had turned into a vast lake.

Many villages had disappeared and the boats of the special teams sailed between houses and churches to free the residents, who waited for hours for help and uploaded videos on social media, for someone to come to their rescue. And it wasn’t just the extreme weather they had to contend with.

They saw the labors of a lifetime disappear under the mud. A few hours of heavy rain was enough to destroy entire villages and many were those who, being desperate, left the area, looking for a better tomorrow in other cities or abroad.

The promises of the politicians were not kept, the rent allowances were not given, while the compensations were minimal in the face of the destruction that took place, as a result of which the residents were not only unable to repair their houses, but also unable to pay their rents, resulting in their eviction. Because, in addition to their homes, they lost animals, crops and expensive equipment.

The money given by the state as first aid was not even enough to cover basic needs, let alone for all these costly actions.

This has the result that two whole years after this natural disaster, nothing has actually changed in the villages of Karditsa.

Dilapidated houses, rusted cars and farm implements, yards littered with rubble and deserted streets. Especially when it gets dark, the situation is even more difficult… It would not be an exaggeration to say that these villages look like a scene from a thriller or some dystopian science fiction movie.

But it is very real, and it may be a distant image for us, but for the people who live there and do not leave their place it is a harsh reality.

Speaking to the camera of Where There is Greece, the residents of the area make a dramatic appeal to the state to help them financially, to get back on their feet, and to be able to build their villages from scratch.

Right now they feel alone and helpless…