Stuck in Rhodes

[TooTrusting]

I was just east of Gennadi, 5 minutes away, at Atlantica Dreams resort (Tui). All day yesterday there was a steady stream of evacuated guests from other hotels arriving.
The fire seemed to die down at around 3pm. But by 7 it was raging again.
We were told one of us needed to stay up all night to listen gif the evacuation siren.
There were hundreds of evacuees there by then.
Just before 10pm we were evacuated. We walked to the road where there was a coach and some cattle trucks. It was chaos and hard not to be separated from my DCs (23, 19, 17 & 17). We had no idea where we were going. I had to calm and keep company 2 distraught children (circa 14 and 8) who had got separated from their parents. I lost a shoe and one DC their phone. We had to jettison the one small cabin size suitcase we had brought our essentials in.
Our truck broke down and we walked about a mile, again not knowing where we were going, and were eventually directed onto Gennadi beach. There were around 2000 people there all crammed together. Small boats, capacity around 10, went back and forth between ferry boats and the shore. There was no Dunkirk spirit. People were tired, upset and frightened. Some had not slept for 2 nights.

It took 4 hours until we finally managed to get on one at around 2. It was bedlam with everyone shoving and barging. I was separated from the DCs several times. Nobody knew where we were going.

We were on the ferry around 4 hours before arriving in Rhodes Town at c6.30am. We sailed through ash clouds and people had towels tied round their faces. People were taken off in different buses. We ended up in a school with 150 others. But there was nothing there for us, no beds, mats, washing facilities or food and it was boiling hot.
There was no list so the authorities have no idea who has gone where. It is a total lie for Tui to say they have re accommodated everyone. They have not. They have no idea where I am and until their phone lines open I cannot contact them either. The only info we have been given is an FCO number for advice on travel and consular assistance (which we don't need).
Luckily I have 24 hour insurance access and when I'd re charged my phone was able to establish I am covered (was worried it would be an "act of God"). I have booked a hotel for 1 night, after a long search. I've just arrived - it's chaos with everyone sleeping on the floor.
Just before we left the school a band of volunteers arrived laden with food and one of them thinks our hotel may have been burned down and we are unlikely to get back to try to retrieve our stuff. She says Gennadi is mostly gone.

We leave on Wednesday. We can't check in here til 2 and need to go and buy clothes and essentials. All we have is what we are standing in.

In my hotel near Gennadi.
It had been very windy all day. The fire had receded significantly by around 3/4pm but got much worse at around 6/7pm and between 8 and 9 it was expanding visibly by the minute.
We were told at 10 to evacuate. But it was pretty obvious by 9 what way it was going.
My lot all took a small handbag size bag. And I packed one cabin size suitcase with what I thought we'd need - my work laptop, suncream, a change of clothes each, medicines/first aid kit. A hand towrl each in case of heavy smoke. And (sorry) my make up.

Maybe that’s because I have been in a disaster zone myself and I’ve lived in places where wildfires are pretty common but your description makes me think overall you’ve been very well looked after.

Evacuation has gone down well. Chaotic but I wouldn’t expect anything else. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️
Information is available including the ‘no passport’ situation - which would be the most difficult part.
You’ve been housed, fed and taken to safety.

The rest? well yes it’s not a ‘nice’ holiday.
But I have to say, i think we need to expect issues like that more and more. If you’d been in northern Italy, you’d have to deal with flooding - ice included- , very strong winds etc…
And it’s only a shock because we’ve been nicely sheltered from all that until now. It’s changing…

(not an attack on YOU btw for taking the plane etc…. More a comment on how we seen to only recognise issues when they get really bad and affect us personally. And the fact we, and our governments, should have taken steps many years ago. But it wasn’t politically acceptable for voters then….)

I'm seeing on twitter it was arson and people have been arrested. Have you heard that @TooTrusting

Hope you manage to get home safely. I can see why you weren't initially worried. I've been in Croatia when there were wild fires too. Lots of countries experience them in summer - even the UK. The ones near where I live are always caused by people - either deliberately or accidentally by not putting BBQs out. It's unfair for people to imply it's your own fault because you already knew it was hot there. Heat doesn't cause fires - you still need an ignition.

We were at the hotel last year, and sitting down by the beach was so relaxing.
Prayers for everybody stuck there, plus all the local people who cannot just evacuate.

@Fluffy40 locals will have evacuated too!! Because it’s a life and death situation fir them too.

The difference is that they will have lost EVERYTHING. Not just a few clothes or a camera/passport.
I feel much more for them.

Some of the people on this thread are real a* h*. OP is in the middle of a traumatic event for tourists, workers and residents. I’m sure OP knows how worse this will be for the residents etc, but it doesn’t change how stressful the past 24 hours have been.

Yeah, perhaps banning people from going on holiday... or specifically setting air travel quota, investing in lower carbon travel, making recycling really work, committing to their low carbon targets. We need government to manage effectively and to look beyond the next election. You are right, we are all to blame and we also now need a government that will have an adult dialogue with the nation and really do the work to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.

Couldn't agree with you more @AsterixAndPersimmon

@doistayordoigo

We can't afford to just lose the money, but also don't want to add to an awful situation and risk everyone's lives.

Read your sentence back to yourself - especially the last four words. I think you’ll have your answer

Agreed. We need taxation to be heavy enough that people really pay for the consequences of the most harmful behaviours.

And moral pressure too, like with drink driving. Getting to a place where most people just would self regulate their behaviour. So the more people that call out damaging behaviour and don't indulge in it the better.

A passive "there's nothing we can do" is ridiculous. What you buy (or don't buy) has a direct impact. Not just on companies but on the decisions of those around you -the "peer pressure" element. And you can choose who you vote for and what charities you donate to.

Politicians want to be elected as a priority so they won’t suggest this.

They may not have to anyway. The price of travel will shoot up as risk of fires or floods increase. Fewer people will be able to afford it.

People saying you can't afford to lose your money, you've already spent it. You might not want to waste it but you can afford it as it's gone. It's a sunk cost.

Nowhere have I made out what a terrible personal disaster this is for me compared to others. I thought people would be interested to hear first hand what is going on. Hence AMA.

Horrible as it is for holiday makers, those who live there must be losing everything -their homes and livelihoods

They are Luckily, however, they're unlikely to lack somewhere to go, and friends on the island - who insist the stereotype of Greeks beeing "all one big family" isn't far wrong - tell me that many have simply moved in with others in safer areas

The locals were fantastic coming to the rescue

Lovely to hear, OP, but again no surprise
Stay safe, and may be you home and settled before very long

Trying to organise an evacuation of what must be several thousand UK/EU travellers at this time of year must be a logistical nightmare.

I've read UK airlines have cancelled outbound flights from today. UK>RHO legs are operating out empty to return those booked home today. People in emergency accomodation, with only what they stand up in, are going to have to be brought home.

PP have mentioned difficulty with finding buses. Aircraft will be difficult to find too. Operators who do that sort of thing are already pretty fully committed filling gaps for outfits like Jet2, TUI etc whose own fleets are fully committed at what is literally the absolute peak of the season.

I thought people would be interested to hear first hand what is going on

And very good of you it is, OP

I aimed for the same when in Florida and Hurricane Irma blew through ... would have done it for Hurricane Ian last year too, except we lost all power for 5 days

I am interested

@TooTrusting i never said you had 😀😀

My comment was a really general one.
As I said, maybe because if my own life experience, your experience feels like a good experience as far as ‘disasters’ go 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Btw I do think this thread is a good idea!

Few people have any idea of what it means to be caught in something like this. Hearing first hand experience is always good.

Thanks for posting, OP - it sounds terrifying and I'm really glad you and your family are safe.

This is v interesting to read but I’m sorry you’re caught up in it all.
I heard on the news that there are at least five empty aircraft on their way from the UK to pick up people who want to leave, if you do want to get out.
Keep us updated on how you are doing.

Thank you for your thread OP - very interesting and gives a real insight into how scary and stressful the situation is.

As for people telling you off that your disaster isn't as bad as other disasters. It's not a competition. OP is telling us her experience of a genuinely horrible situation. Should she not bother, just because others have suffered worse?

Very interesting thread. Glad you and your family are safe @TooTrusting.

Very interesting thread. Please keep us updated.

Thank you for your thread OP.