5 February 2025 - Increased seismic activity has not led to the alertness of the competent authorities

The coordinator of the Volt Parliamentary Committee, Ms. Efi Xanthou stated the following:

 “This request by the Seismological Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment for 24-hour staffing is timeless but has become particularly urgent due to the seismic developments in our region. It is not possible for such an important issue to be presented simply as a union request and for the Ministry's administration to show strong dissatisfaction with the publication of the issue, instead of having answers on its merits. The issue becomes even more scandalous if one considers that the Ministry has decided that, rather than proceeding with the adequate staffing of the Department, the creation of a shift system or even the provision of overtime to existing staff until the proper staffing is done, they decided to purchase services from Greece, at an excessively higher cost than adequate staffing.”

 Volt’s Home Affairs Committee Coordinator, Mr. Artemis Michael, added the following:

 “In addition to the revelation that as the Republic of Cyprus we do not have sufficient staffing in the relevant government department to have timely warning of any major earthquake in our area, we are also concerned about the lack of adequate planning for managing the disasters that a major earthquake would bring. We heard today from the spokesperson for the Civil Defense Department of the Ministry of Interior assuring us that they are ready to manage any catastrophic incident. They have elaborate plans, trained personnel and many tents, sheets and pillowcases to help the homeless who will arise.

 This is despite the obvious lack of any information for the public on exactly how to react in the event of an earthquake, without posting these guidelines on any website, despite the failure to identify suitable open spaces for gathering, without the public appeal to large organizations to update their emergency plans and to proceed with exercises at regular intervals so that our population is ready to face an upcoming Enceladus. We emphasize that we are not trying to sow panic. But we must all be aware that a major earthquake will come, sooner or later. We as Volt want to sound the alarm in time so that everything that needs to be done, even now, is done so that we do not lose lives.”

 As Volt, we call on all relevant authorities to assume their responsibilities and proceed with planning building evacuation drills, updating immediate response plans and informing the general public about the measures to be taken in the event of an emergency. In addition, both the Cyprus Seismological Centre and the Civil Defence Department must be adequately staffed immediately, so that they can adequately carry out their work and prevent the worst destructive consequences of an extraordinary serious seismic event.