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Metamorfosi - which also flooded in 1953 and 1994 - nearly
disappeared beneath the water when Storm Daniel, which brought
devastation across the Mediterranean, struck the Thessaly region
on Sept. 4-7, turning it into an inland sea. Sixteen people were
killed, including two who drowned in Metamorfosi.
The village has resembled a ghost town since and residents told
Reuters in November they had no choice but to relocate to a
safer place.
The proposal to erect new houses in the nearby village of
Palamas some 8 km (5 miles) away was approved by 142 residents
against 14, via an informal vote in the form of a statutory
declaration, said Metamorfosi community president Petros
Kontogiannis. About 15 people abstained, he said.
"The vote shows that people cannot bear to live through this
again," Kontogiannis told Reuters. "There is hope that we will
have homes that will ensure our safety."
The plan was formally approved late on Tuesday by Palamas
municipal authorities, which will provide the plot of land.
Residents will now take the proposal to the government together
with a technical study citing "repeated flooding" and
Metamorfosis' geomorphology as reasons for the move.
The government has said it would consider the relocation of
Metamorfosi, whose name means "transformation" in Greek.
"I, personally, am completely open to it," Prime Minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament last month.
"Let's build a new Metamorfosi, a new village, with contemporary
standards, that will finally be safe from floods, so that these
people don't drown every 30 years," he said.
(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
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