Alpha TV aired a report about our village and community. Monica, a representative of our community, took part—our sincere thanks to her.
Below is an English translation of the segment, produced with automated tools, so minor inaccuracies are possible.
Now—specifically, last week, 35 days after the devastating wildfire in the mountain region of Limassol—our program’s crew visited the community of Souni–Zanatzia. The overall picture is heartbreaking. We will show what we recorded and discuss it with our guests, seeking answers to the many unresolved questions.
Despite a second joint session of three parliamentary committees, chaired by the President of the House last Friday, the burning questions about the “before” and “after” of the most destructive wildfire our country faced this past July remain unanswered. Beyond the natural landscape, the operational picture is also murky: ministries, services, and departments engage in a blame game, while MPs shape narratives accordingly—something that further angers citizens, especially those directly affected, who sift through the rubble of their homes and lives and worry about their future.
Just two days earlier, on 27 August, our crew was in Souni–Zanatzia, one of 13 villages heavily affected by the deadly wildfire, where the scene remains disheartening. Many of the announcements made in Parliament appear not to have reached the local authorities and impacted residents.
In the village, around 100 homes were affected, 73 of which were completely destroyed. The community council is awaiting official information from the District Administration on the exact number of damaged houses. Some residents who have not yet received compensation are asking for it to be paid. Those whose homes were totally destroyed are waiting for authorities to tell them when they can begin restoration. There is a lack of clarity on whether all houses have been inspected by ETEK (the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber).
Winter is not far off, and heavy rainfall could trigger landslides, creating new problems—a prospect that greatly worries the community. We have been informed that officials from the Water Development Department, specialist hydrologists, and other teams have already identified flood-prone points, and anti-flood works are being planned at specific locations.
It will take a long time for black to give way to green again. As mentioned in Parliament on Friday, the Department of Forests, in cooperation with community councils and other bodies, is preparing a tree-planting plan to be implemented in winter. The community of Souni, however, is still waiting for concrete information on this. It should be noted that a large part of the village’s forested area lies on private land. Some fields are already being tilled to remove the top blackened layer so it is not washed away by the first rains, and, in cooperation with private landowners, tree plantings are being scheduled.
So far, the community has received only a small grant for operating expenses.
The events of 23 July marked the people who experienced—and continue to experience—the consequences of the fire. What they remember vividly is the ferocity of the blaze, the total lack of timely information, and the absence of a firefighting presence in their village. Residents report that the special national evacuation plan “Polivios” was not implemented as provided.
Because the village bell operates on electricity, it could not be rung—so that certainly did not happen. I also heard that the mukhtar (community leader) drove through the village warning people to leave. I don’t know if he reached this far, but my husband received no notification—nor did our other neighbors, officially.
Those who left to save themselves did so on their own initiative. The community’s attempt to inform the public via a written message failed because the council offices had no computer access due to the power cut.
The family of Monica Ioannidou-Polemidi was among the lucky ones, as the fire changed direction just a few meters from their home. The houses behind theirs turned to ash. Wildfires in the area are frequent, she notes, but this was the first time the fire entered the village.
“The worst part for me is that we lost our neighbors—some temporarily, some permanently—because they were renting here. The social fabric suffered a blow from this fire. On the positive side, the community came together as never before and, in cooperation with the community council, we are trying to improve the situation as quickly as possible.”
People know recovery will take time, and the community has limited manpower. That is why residents are investing in volunteerism and in the human resources of citizens who have networked and are joining forces for the common good. Grassroots initiatives have been created, along with a website to keep everyone informed and a Telegram channel for communication—so we can see exactly what each person can offer in terms of knowledge and skills and set coordinated actions in motion. A volunteer firefighting group for Souni has already been launched and will be trained by the Fire Service.
In contrast to the slow pace of the state—hampered by bureaucracy and procedures—private initiative and the volunteer sector move swiftly. This was proven in practice while the raging inferno devoured everything in its path. “I am truly grateful for volunteerism. It worked flawlessly and continues to do so. There are lessons here about how people and communities can operate to overcome crises.”
Residents are asking for updates and details—both on the timelines of processes already under way and those to follow. At the same time, they are calling for transparency in the allocation and use of the resources available for this purpose. “Funds were allocated—where exactly? How much already? By what mechanisms? Not just simple press releases, which, for someone like me, do not provide the level of transparency I would like.”
Returning to normality for those who lost their homes must be a priority. Some are still staying with friends or in host housing, or have rented in other areas. Ensuring the safety of structurally unstable buildings and restoring greenery should be at the top of the agenda. “We live here, and we decided we will continue to live here. Like everyone else, we want to live somewhere that resembles the way things were.”
For her—as for many others—the key question is not only how we will rebuild what we had, but how we will rebuild more resiliently.
Monica Ioannidou-Polemidi, a distinguished scientist with 20 years’ experience in operations, financial consulting, and innovation, proposes immediate investments in technology: the use of artificial intelligence, research, and historical data. “There are solutions called AI agents, for example, that can make decisions on routine matters—such as answering a 112 emergency call—and decide based on what they hear and the location signal of the caller. Sensors and satellite data can likewise be leveraged. All of this can be implemented through technology, and the research community should also contribute its expertise.”
Monica’s family is one of many who consciously chose to live in the countryside for a higher quality of life—away from the city’s noise and surrounded by nature. Together with the village’s other 3,500 residents—Cypriots and foreigners—they call on the state to act on the basis of sustainability and resilience and to restore life in the community to where it was before July. More staffing, equipment, and assets are the easy political decisions—reflexive ones for any government under pressure—because they are visible and presumed popular. The most important decisions—those about prevention—do not “sell,” are not easily measured, and remain in the drawer: cleaning, training, preparedness drills. The absence of wildfire—the absence of destruction—is not news. But, as Lao Tzu said, when a capable leader completes his work, the people say that everything happened naturally.