Fires and Floods

The situation in Greece is one to behold. Dozens of fires are raging across the country, and at least 47 people have been killed. The government estimates that fires are ongoing in nearly half the country and the death toll will certainly rise in coming days as firefighters make headway against fires and reach villages that were cut off by the fires.

Firefighters battling unrelenting blazes that have engulfed thousands of acres across Greece and killed at least 49 people saw some relief Sunday, as high winds that have helped spread the fires eased.

The fires - which have surrounded and isolated villages, prompting inhabitants to plead for help on television and radio - beared down on towns near Ancient Olympia in the south, but officials said the historic site was no longer in immediate danger.

"We are optimistic that, if the weather and the reduction in the winds hold long enough, we may be able to be more effective," said fire department spokesman Nikos Diamandis.

A day after the Greek government invoked a nationwide state of emergency, there were fears the death toll would soon rise, as firefighters began to reach burned-out villages. "Fires are burning in more than half the country," Diamandis said. "This is definitely an unprecedented disaster for Greece."

Diamandis said it was impossible as yet to estimate how large an area had been burned and how many homes had been destroyed.

The worst of the blazes - which began Friday morning, and include some blamed on arson - were concentrated in the mountains of the Peloponnese region in southern Greece and on the island of Evia north of Athens.

The government believes that many of the fires were started by arsonists, which would mean that those who died in the fires were homicide victims. Criminal investigations are sure to occur as soon as conditions permit.

Meanwhile, areas of the Central US are suffering from the worst flooding seen in decades. Parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan have had flooding as a result of a stationary front that has pumped out flooding rains for more than a week.

All that rain has to go somewhere, and rivers have overflowed their banks and flooded many areas that were not considered flood risks. Thousands of people have been displaced as a result and relief isn't in sight as the front continues to slowly move to the East, meaning the misery may spread to parts of Pennsylvania and New York before long.

Power is out to tens of thousands of people and it may take days before the power is completely restored. Many of those who were flooded out did not have flood insurance because they weren't considered in the flood plain or were in areas where flooding hasn't been known to occur. Those people will take a huge financial hit.

UPDATE:
The death toll is now 62, and is expected to rise further. The situation appears to be out of control as the Greeks need all the help they can get in fighting the fires. Help is coming from other European countries, and even Israel has sent firefighters to assist in the efforts, but high winds are making it extremely difficult to fight the fires and dangerous to everyone in and around the fires as the fires could shift directions and trap still more people.

As it is, the fires are fast approaching Olympia [ed: fixed typo]. Arsonists are believed to have started some of the fires:

By sea and by land, authorities evacuated hundreds of people trapped by flames in villages, hotels and resorts.

A large front of fire was just at the edge of the village of Ancient Olympia, which stands near the 2,800-year-old site itself. Police blocked roads, and firefighting planes flew overhead.

"The winds are so strong that I don't know whether the site's sprinkling system will stop it," said Costas Sofianos, deputy mayor of Ancient Olympia. Although the sprinkler system was activated, not all of it appeared to be functioning.

The fire department said some trees at the sprawling site had burned, but that the museum was safe. The ancient stadium and other monuments were so far unaffected.

In the early morning, church bells rang out in nearby Kolyri as residents gathered their belongings and fled through the night. Villagers returned to find at least seven gutted houses.

Fotis Hadzopoulos, a resident, said the evacuation was chaotic. "Children were crying, and their mothers were trying to comfort them, " he said.

The worst of Greece's fires — 42 major fronts — were concentrated in the mountains of the Peloponnese in southern Greece and on Evia north of Athens. New fires also broke out Sunday in the central region of Fthiotida — one of the few areas that had been unscathed, fire department spokesman Nikos Diamandis said.

Arson has been blamed in several cases, and seven people have been detained.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced or are in danger as a result of the fires, which are burning all over Southern Greece.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected.