Starting this Monday (10/08), applications for compensation are open for citizens affected by the devastating wildfires of recent days. Deputy Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Kostas Katsafados, spoke about the property inspections carried out in areas at the heart of the fire front. During a television interview on SKAI on Monday morning (10/08), Mr. Katsafados stated that inspections of all fire-affected areas were completed on Friday.
“If any citizen whose property was damaged by the fires was unable to be present during the inspection — since inspections are carried out in the presence of property owners — they can notify our service and teams will return to conduct the inspection and issue the property assessment report,” he added. When asked whether a single inspection would be sufficient to initiate the process, Mr. Katsafados replied: “We have streamlined the procedures. Where two inspections were previously required, all processes can now move forward following just one inspection, so that citizens are not put through any further hardship.”
What Kostas Katsafados said about the situation in Porto Germeno
He stated that in Porto Germeno, 79 homes have been classified as red (unsafe), 56 as yellow, and 57 as green. “Residents with red-classified homes will need to demolish them and proceed with obtaining a new permit to rebuild their property,” he said.
Regarding state assistance, Mr. Katsafados noted that government aid has been set at 100% since last year. Specifically, he stated that the financial support fire victims will receive from the state amounts to €1,000 per square meter, for homes of up to 150 square meters.
How fire victims will be supported
He noted that the state will also cover the cost of the rebuilding permit, adding that a new process is being applied for Porto Germeno residents specifically regarding demolition costs. “We have agreed with the municipal authority that the state will cover all costs related to the demolition of these buildings. The municipality will issue a contract, which we will fund, so that citizens who are required to demolish their homes are not burdened with demolition expenses,” he said.
When the payments will be made
When asked what a complete application file must include, he said it should contain everything that would normally be required to build a new home. “I should inform you that every citizen who received their property assessment report also received an informational leaflet from our service outlining each step, all required documents, timelines, deadlines — everything — so that they are fully informed from the very first moment about what they need to do,” he said, adding: “Payments will be made 10 days after we receive the official record from the municipality identifying the eligible recipients. That means starting from today.”
“We don’t want any citizen left without a roof over their head”
Finally, Mr. Katsafados addressed the rental subsidy, stating that it has been in effect since the day of the disaster. “We don’t want any citizen left without a roof over their head. Every affected resident can rent a property within their regional unit. A rental agreement will be required, as you would expect, and once the emergency housing allowance is issued, funding will begin retroactively — as a month will have passed. We said the allowance will be issued by August 20th and will take effect from the beginning of September. So that month will also be covered, and the financial support for rent will be paid retroactively. The rental subsidy starts at €300 and goes up to €500, depending on the size of the household,” he said.
