A devastating storm – Cyclone Daniel – that caused massive flooding and destruction in the central Thessaly province in early September 2023 is the worst natural catastrophe that the modern Greek state has faced, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday, addressing a Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) event to honor members who contributed to relief and restoration works.

The storm is considered the deadliest Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone in recorded history, causing death and destruction in the southern Balkans, Turkey and Libya.

Daniel will cost the Greek state more than three billion euros, Mitsotakis said, while adding that if the economy had not performed as it did over the last couple of years, it would not have been possible to support Thessaly to such an extent, he noted.

File photo: Flooded land in the village of Vlochos, seven days after the Storm Daniel, Karditsa prefecture, Greece, September 11, 2023.

“We can be all together, united and overcome any difficulties as a country,” he underlined, adding that Thessaly’s wounds have yet to heal, but “a great deal has been done, both to support the incomes of those afflicted and for the important restoration projects on primary infrastructure, which have already begun construction,” he said.

Speaking at the Athens Conservatory, Mitsotakis also expressed appreciation for the USG and its members’ contributions, which have included, among others, the Marietta Giannakou Program for the modernization of numerous primary and second schools in the country, worth 400 million euros.

Mitsotakis praised the role and contributions of Greece’s shipowners and requested their continued support, because “there are always needs that are above our capability” to meet.