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Examining the 1953 Kefalonian Earthquakes, From a Social Perspective.

The Ionian islands, situated at the most western part of Greece, experienced the domination of Venice from 14th until the 19th century, and Great Britain from 1815 to 1864, when they were annexed to Greece. Isolated from the mainland of Greece, the culture of the inhabitants was influenced by their rulers, mostly the Venetians, with a severe impact on their social and economic life. Earthquakes, from historical to modern times, were the most influential disaster in their culture, leaving traces on the mentality, architecture and literature of the population in Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Ithaki and Lefkada islands. The 1953 earthquake series (9 August M6.4, 11 August M6.8 and 12 August M7.2) is a characteristic example of how a natural disaster seriously affected the everyday life of the population, mainly in Kefalonia, Ithaki and Zakynthos. Their effects were many casualties, whole towns and villages covered by debris and fires, leading to homelessness, and pleas for aid. The earthquakes also had significant psycho-social repercussions on the locals, especially to women and children. Most of the population was poor, similar to the rest of Greeks, trying to recover from WWII and the civil war. According to the authorities reports and the local and international press, the first to arrive for aid on 13 August were battleships of the British Royal Navy, United States and Israel, which were conducting a military drill offshore Kefalonia, followed by ships from Italy, carrying water supplies, two days later. The King of Greece arrived on 14 August and ordered the military to dispose the debris. Of great importance was the financial assistance from France, Sweden and Switzerland who “adopted” villages of Kefalonia, reconstructing them from scratch (e.g. Agia Efthymia and Lakithra). Additionally, international humanitarian organizations, such as Red Cross and CARE, rushed to provide aid (food, tents, etc.). The 1953 earthquakes were a milestone in the history of Greece, leading to internal migration, and influencing the perception of time scales to pre- and post-earthquake.

Session: Research Advances in “High-Impact”, “Under-Studied” Earthquakes and Their Impacts on Communities [Poster Session]

Type: Poster

Room: Exhibit Hall

Date: 5/3/2024

Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)

Presenting Author: Nikolaos Galanos

Student Presenter: Yes

Additional Authors