|
MATI, Greece, Dec. 9-- It's been almost five months since Greece's deadliest wildfire in many decades ravaged the seaside resort of Mati, but the survivors are still facing many obstacles as they are trying to rebuild their homes and lives. Despite the pain and lost, residents here gathered on Sunday to join the lighting of Christmas tree ahead of the holiday season, sending a strong message of hope and determination to move forward. This summer, 99 people lost their lives when a wildfire swept through the coastal Mati, a city 30 km east of Athens. The lighting of the settlement's Christmas tree at the yard of Mati's Sailing Association (NAOMA), where more than 700 people fled on July 23 to escape from the flames to the sea, brought hundreds of residents together to forget the sorrow and anxiety for the future for a few hours. Life in Mati is yet far from normal, with hundreds of gutted houses still lining the blackened streets (over 1,000 were damaged according to official statistics) and hundreds of residents still staying in camps, awaiting the issuance of permits and state aid to reconstruct their homes, locals told Xinhua. The subsidies handed out so far (the state received more than 4,000 applications) are not adequate to heal all the wounds. Several infrastructure works pledged are pending and many adults and children are still suffering of psychological trauma from experiencing the devastating fire which scorched the once heavily wooded settlement, they said. | 
