No pretty photo today - as you may have heard on the news, wildfires have ravaged towns outside Athens, leaving more than 60 dead so far (and unfortunately still counting). My beautiful hometown and neighborhood were deeply affected. Strong winds accelerated the fire in unpredictable ways - at one point, it ripped through 700 meters in 3 seconds. Many people didn’t have time to escape. Others were forced into the water as the fire reached the coast, and some of them could not be rescued before drowning. An entire village has been erased off the map.
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To those of you who reached out to me, thank you so much for your concern; my family and home are safe. My deepest condolences to those of you who have lost friends and relatives. All my thoughts and prayers are with you, as well as with those still seeking loved ones.
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If you are in the area, a lot of local organizations are providing food and shelter, all info in my IG story. If you are in the Athens area in general, the municipalities of both Rafina-Pikermi and Marathon are collecting donations of water, canned and packaged food, baby formula, and basic medical supplies (gauze, iodine, etc). If you are far and wish to donate, the wonderful @meliakreiling has set up a GoFundMe donation for those affected by the wildfires (link in bio).
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My heart breaks for my beautiful home. I can only hope the worst of the damage is over. But for this group of lovely coastal resort towns, I can’t even begin to imagine the long-term consequences of this devastating fire. Greece simply cannot absorb more hardship. Words can’t describe how much it pains me to see the one place I’ve always called home ravaged like this. #prayforgreece
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