Greek islanders evacuate amid back-to-back earthquakes

Over 11,000 locals fled the Island of Santorini by Wednesday morning as earthquakes continued shaking the island, according to a BBC report citing Greek officials. Most of the quakes have been small with the largest clocking in at a magnitude 5 on Tuesday. A University of Athens seismology map tracking earthquakes over the last two days showed a cluster of small earthquakes hitting central areas of the Cyclades group of islands with many near the island of Andros.

How is the government of Greece responding? The Ministry of Civil Protection, the Security Forces, and the Armed Forces, along with local officials, have been monitoring and responding to this seismic activity from the beginning, Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Vassilis Kikilias said in a Wednesday statement. Calmness and patience are essential, he added. Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday also urged islanders to remain calm. He planned to keep civilians informed and compile a geological presentation for the public to understand the government’s response to the seismic activity.