Snow in Ikaria

Snow in Greece

Ariadne is the name of the ongoing snowstorm in Greece. The old people say the last time it snowed so much was 60 years ago. It snowed so heavily on the islands of Euboea, Skopelos and Alonnissos that a state of emergency had to be declared. The country is paralyzed. So does Ikaria. It was snowing down to sea level and at the same time it was storming so hard that neither ship nor plane could reach the island. The schools were closed. The streets are impassable. Many villages have been without electricity and water for days, all in sub-zero temperatures.

We were actually warned

For days there have been reports on television that there will be a radical drop in temperature and that hurricane-like storms and precipitation will affect the entire country. After the unusually prolonged drought of the last few months, we all prayed for water. The olive harvest in November had been a disaster. The fallen olives formed a dark carpet under the trees. They were as dry as raisins and the trees simply let them fall in their distress.

However, Ariadne exceeded all expectations

We were not prepared for Ariadne. Ariadne exceeded everything I could have ever imagined about snow in Greece. It started with sleet on Sunday evening and when I opened the front door on Monday morning I thought I had woken up in Switzerland. A thick blanket of snow lay over everything.

All flights were canceled for several days and the ship connection was also stopped due to the high seas. Ikaria was completely cut off from the outside world for days. It doesn’t sound that dramatic, assuming you don’t have a medical emergency. But very soon the consequences of the supply became clear to us. The fresh items in the supermarkets could not be supplied and petrol and heating oil became scarce.

Snowed in

Our house is only 250 meters above sea level. Our access road was impassable from day one. Snow, ice and fallen trees blocked them. We couldn’t go into the village. We received photos of Gialiskari and Armenistis via Facebook: boats covered in snow, Messachti in the snowstorm! The cars came to the gas station in Agios Dimitrios. Nothing further went on. Of course everyone only has summer tires and there are no snow chains. Certainly not snow plows.

From Christos upwards the reports became spooky. People were desperate. The cattle breeders were no longer able to reach their herds because of the snow. Some shepherds were snowed in.

Because of the constant tax increases and subsequent inflation, many households had only purchased limited supplies of heating oil and were therefore only able to heat on an hourly basis. However, a practice that has become widespread since the beginning of the crisis is proving fatal with so much snow! In many cases there was no power supply and therefore no water or heating because pumps were not working or water pipes were frozen. It’s very lucky that we don’t have any refugees on Ikaria.

Ariadne’s stranglehold

After the initial joy, it slowly dawned on us. Ariadne, as beautiful as she seemed at first glance, was ice cold and merciless. The citrus trees are full of fruit this time of year. Oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, lemons. “We have to go out immediately and pick everything off.” Once the citrus fruits freeze, they are inedible. They become hollow like tennis balls. And the trees just die.

Things were even worse for the olive trees. They have a full canopy even in winter and seemed like they would collapse at any moment under the weight of snow. Half of the trees simply snapped away like dry wood.

We put all our warm clothes on at once. The problem was the shoes. Who among us has had real snow boots? Rubber boots also had to work, even though our toes almost froze off. For hours, soaked except for our underwear from the falling snow water, we gently chipped away the snow from the trees with sticks to free them from their heavy burden.

Schneesturm, mit Stöcken den Schnee von den Bäumen schlagen

We ran out of supplies

After a few days our supplies began to run low. That’s when you realize what you have to buy despite being self-sufficient. Bread, milk, sugar, coffee, etc. We had no drinking water. The pipes were obviously all frozen and only brown broth was dripping out of the tap. The fireplace (thank goodness we had enough dry wood) stayed lit day and night and we gathered in thick jackets in the one room around the fire.

Climate change noticeable

Even though Ariadne brought about a state of emergency, you now know what a winter day in Ikaria can be like. The question that I was often asked so harmlessly: “What is Ikaria and life on an island actually like in winter?” – now you have a picture of it.

“Because of the little snow!” Many people think, but not all winter is the same. We have no winter tires, no snow removal machines, no salt trucks and no grit for spreading. The houses are poorly insulated and not designed for frost. If the water pipes freeze and the power lines cannot withstand the fallen trees, things can quickly become dangerous. Without electricity, without heating, without drinking water and without an open fireplace you are lost. The houses on the islands are designed to stay cool in the hot summer months at 40 degrees. But when it snows, it is sometimes even warmer outside than in the freezing, unheated stone houses.

Ariadne’s ice-cold gift

However, the little children were happy about all the snow. The youngest children saw snow for the first time in their lives. And if I think about it carefully, snow = water, which people and nature so urgently need. The large reservoir in the Pezi plateau was almost empty except for a layer of black mud and its water smelled. Water has been rationed for months. The melted snow will fill the reservoir again.

Heating oil for schools

I am so happy that shortly before the Christmas holidays we were able to fill the heating oil tank of the Raches high school/lyceum with €1000 through our “Heating Oil for Schools” fundraising campaign. Thanks to your many small and large donations!

The schools are now open again and at least the children and their teachers can sit in heated classrooms. The campaign is still running and if you would like to take part, we would be grateful for every euro! To the donation accounts…