- PASOK-KINAL President Nikos Androulakis visited Arkalochori to inspect earthquake victims’ living conditions.
- Many elderly residents still live in containers nearly four years after the quake.
- Only 290 out of 3,300 repair requests have been approved.
- Sky-high construction costs leave families stranded without adequate state support.
- Androulakis slammed government inaction, flagging the Prime Minister’s conspicuous absence.
- Ongoing foreclosure threats and mounting despair hang over the community.
- Androulakis called the situation a disgrace and insisted that people, not politics, should be the state’s priority.
On Saturday, May 10, 2025, PASOK-KINAL President Nikos Androulakis rolled up to the makeshift container park that has replaced actual homes for hundreds of earthquake victims—and, as luck would have it, their patience. It’s been about four years since the earthquake, but recovery appears to be on the same timeline as the next ice age.
Outside these containers—a vision straight from the world’s least inspiring real estate brochure—elderly residents counted birthday candles and missed opportunities. The numbers scrawled on government paperwork are, if nothing else, a lesson in creative accounting: 3,300 applications for repairs. The Ministry of Infrastructure has greenlit a grand total of 290. “These are the figures the mayor gave me,” Androulakis stated, gesturing to the files as if they were cursed artifacts.
If this isn’t bleak enough, residents face building material prices that look like flyers for exclusive resorts. The compensation numbers set by the Ministry don’t come close to covering actual costs, leaving many families to dip a toe into bankruptcy while bureaucrats shuffle paper. As Androulakis put it, “Hundreds of families are sinking into despair, battling not only sluggish housing repairs but also bad loans and looming foreclosures.”
Silence, Explanations, and Political Absentees
The scene might call for the sort of sweeping, inspirational leadership that makes the evening news. This week, it got the opposite: the Prime Minister, caught up somewhere in Heraklion, did not so much as swing by for a photo. Androulakis laid it out with the subtlety of a sledgehammer: “Mr. Mitsotakis didn’t come here yesterday. He stayed in Heraklion making announcements. The BOAK road is important for Crete, sure, but so are the people of Arkalochori, still waiting for something better. The state should care about them too.”
The president of PASOK didn’t mince words regarding the state’s efforts, or lack thereof. “What’s been happening in Arkalochori these past four years is a shame for the Greek government. We’re standing in front of these containers where older residents are still living. Three thousand three hundred requests, and only 290 were approved. Building materials are outrageously expensive, but the Ministry’s prices are much lower than the real cost. That’s why hundreds of families are lost in despair, with red loans and foreclosures. This is daily life for earthquake victims here.”
Officialdom’s response? Shrug, repeat, and reassure—at least until the next election cycle. According to Mayor Manolis Kegeroglou, paperwork moves at the pace of continental drift, and the few approvals trickle through, offering hope about as convincing as a campaign promise in February.
- Androulakis visited earthquake-hit Arkalochori on May 10, 2025.
- Only 290 out of 3,300 requests for repairs have been processed.
- Elderly residents continue to live in containers nearly four years post-quake.
- Compensation rates set by the state fail to meet actual building costs.
- Many families face financial ruin and the threat of losing their homes.
- State efforts are labeled a “disgrace” and government absence is sharply criticized.
Feel free to reread this chapter whenever you need an example of how not to run disaster recovery—or human affairs at all. At Arkalochori, politics remains a spectator sport. The earthquake victims are still waiting for a referee.
