On Rhodes one of our organisers was evacuated from her home with as many of
her cats as possible, some had just disappeared. She writes ………………
“…….in all my 40 years in Australia, I had never been evacuated and never been so scared. I locked the house up, shutters closed, all the outside taps left on and drove. I was told to go to a beach area but my gut SERIOUSLY told me NO don’t go there. I called a friend 30 mins on in Kattavia and they begged me to go and were so understanding as I had cats with me. Not one hr later that beach was covered with thousands of tourists fleeing their hotels which were razed to the ground.. Beach tavernas and sun beds totally destroyed…
I tried to drive back at 4am as I needed to feed 7 kittens and my other cats that disappeared but police and fire trucks blocked the way. I could see ridges of raging flames pouring over the hills.
I turned back there were buses, trucks cars parked both sides of the roads and of course everyone was fleeing so petrol stations were sold out.
Next day I drove the opposite direction to find petrol but nothing. Eventually the police allowed a half hr window for me to get home. SHOCK the whole area was devastated, looked like a war zone..
My place and neighbours thankfully survived cats came running when they heard my car. Kittens thirsty but all in all good except I have no petrol to get out, if the fires start up again. This will take years to rectify especially the environment but it will come back as we know, however the animals have suffered
horrifically deer, badgers and other small animals all burnt alive…
Today was the first in over a week we have blue skies not red or black…
Its been a catastrophe.”
