“There is no risk of a tsunami at the moment in Santorini and the wider area, just as there is no question of a major earthquake,” the president of the OAAP, Eythymios Lekkas, commented on the study of the National Academy of Sciences on the areas with a possibility of tsunami outbreak.

At the same time, he also spoke about the seismic activity in the region, which he said “has returned to normal levels” after a month of intense seismic activity that included some 23,000 tremors.

“A tsunami, as we all know, is only generated after a strong earthquake, which has to exceed 5.5 or 6 on the Richter to cause a ‘decent’ tsunami. Any other tremor will be a simple wave which will cause no, but no destruction and disruption.”
Lekkas said. He said the earthquakes recorded in the region ranged from 1 degree on the Richter scale to 5.3 on the Richter scale.

Regarding the seismic activity, which, although in remission, is still upsetting people in Santorini and the surrounding islands, the geodynamics professor said that “the chances of an earthquake occurring now are similar to those before February 1. The difficult period is over, and we are back to normal.”

Although earthquakes have increased over the past month, Lekas noted that there is no cause for concern for visitors and residents. At the same time, he noted that “now we have to look forward to the next day.” This is given that the seismic activity occurred at the beginning of the tourist season for Santorini and the surrounding islands.

“Santorini and the surrounding islands have been fully organized, not only with seismographs but with GPS and all the instruments that must be in place so that we have full knowledge and full understanding of the phenomenon,” he noted. “We have come back, and we will, of course, now look at the impact that this phenomenon has probably created,” he added.

Asked which buildings should be demolished in the areas at risk, he replied that in the first instance, those structures that do not meet building regulations, are unauthorised and have been built on the Caldera without studies should be examined. However, he said this is not the responsibility of the Earthquake Planning and Protection Agency but of the Environment Ministry.