GREECE ON FIRE . Special Homage.

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Nothing is not more as yesterday in Peloponnesus afterwards the National Destruction that found him for Greece after the arsons that him struck, with result damage from the fires in Ilea, Mersinias, Arcadia and Evian. Our Greek emigrants always help Greece in that serious problem faced. Our all Emigrant brothers in the all world with the base or surplus of their labours, built Churches and Schools, improved the houses of their parents, made streets, planted trees, were glad the Greek nature.

For the national destruction in Greece, existed also the reaction for the problem, of the Rep. John Sarbanes, of the Rep. Gus Bilirakis, of the Rep. Zack Space,  of the Mr. Basil Mossaides one and their reaction helped too much and that it should cheirokrotisoyme.

      Rep. JOHN SARBANES REACTION

America’s reaction to the destruction of the summer fires in Greece is discussed in this week’s edition of Reportaz Apo Washington, a VOA/Greek television presentation for affiliate stations in Greece, Cyprus and communities of the Hellenic Diaspora.

U.S. Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD) is one of the Congressional leaders who came to our studio to express his concern for the people of Greece at this critical hour and to offer hope to those affected by the disaster.

Several of his comments were included in this week’s edition of Reportaz Apo Washington.

However, other important comments made by the Congressman were edited out in order for the program to meet airing time constraints. Following is the full text of the interview granted by Congressman Sarbanes to VOA.

Transcript of Rep. John Sarbanes interview:

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Sarbanes, welcome.

As you know the Government of Greece has declared the country in a state of emergency following the devastating fires that have caused the loss of many lives, an environmental disaster and of course a great deal of human suffering. What impact has this great tragedy had on you and your colleagues in the U.S. Congress?

 (Opening lines spoken in Greek) First of all I wand to extend my deep condolences to the families who lost loved ones during this very sad situation.

(Rest of statement in English) The impact on me and on many Greek-Americans and many Americans, because it extends beyond the Greek-American community, has been very sobering, because Greece has been one of the strongest allies and friends of the United States for many decades.

So, I think there is a special bond between this country and the country of Greece. So when we see Greek citizens, when we see these villages suffering as they have, our hearts go out.

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Sarbanes, the Hellenic American community, of which you are a proud member, has been mobilized across our nation and raises funds for the affected Greek families. How is this mobilization going in the State of Maryland, particularly in your district that includes the beautiful port city of Baltimore, which has been home to many generations of Greek Americans?

As you may know George we have three very vibrant Greek churches in the Baltimore area and they are joining the efforts that are being led by the Archdiocese and by AHEPA.

The Greek-American community is really stepping forward, all across this country, and is part of a multi level response.

We have seen the U.S. government initially contributing about a million and a half dollars of assistance, there is technical assistance going from the U.S. Forest Service to Greece immediately and there is going to be fact finding by the Forest Service to come back and let us know in the government whether there are additional measures that we can take to help with the situation in Greece.

In addition, in Congress we are passing a resolution (referred resolution was adopted unanimously on day program aired in Greece) expressing the sympathy of the entire United States Congress and condolences of the United States Congress for what has happened in Greece. So, as I say this extends well beyond the Greek-American community in terms of the feelings that are being expressed by the United States. Then lastly, as you point out, I expect there will be a very significant effort by the private sector led, I think, by the Greek-American community and we are going to make sure that we get as much information to people as we possibly can about how they can help.

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Sarbanes, thank you very much for being with us today on this very sad occasion.

 Thank you George. We are going to keep working hard to address this.

      Rep. GUS BILIRAKIS REACTION

America’s reaction to the destruction of the summer fires in Greece is discussed in this week’s edition of Reportaz Apo Washington, a VOA/Greek television presentation for affiliate stations in Greece, Cyprus and communities of the Hellenic Diaspora.

U.S. Representative Gus (Constantinos) Bilirakis (R-FL) is one of the Congressional leaders who came to our studio to express his concern for the people of Greece at this critical hour and to offer hope to those affected by the disaster.

Several of his comments were included in this week’s edition of Reportaz Apo Washington.

However, other important comments made by the Congressman were edited out in order for the program to meet airing time constraints. Following is the full text of the interview granted by Congressman Bilirakis to VOA.

Transcript of Rep. Gus Bilirakis interview:

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Bilirakis, welcome.

Thank you Yiorgo.

VOA – G. BISTIS : You are the co-chairman of the prestigious Hellenic Congressional Caucus, the group that initiates a lot of action in the U.S. House of Representatives in connection with issues involving Greece and Cyprus.

What is the Hellenic Caucus doing to assist the victims of the fires in Greece and has the Caucus developed any plans that may deal with the reconstruction of the areas affected?

 What we want to do is get input from the Greek government. I’ve talked with Greek Secretary General of Information Panos Livadas, over the break; this is our first day back in Washington.

We’ve been talking over the telephone, my aids and the aides of Congressmen John Sarbanes and Zack Space have been getting together; and we’ve been talking on the telephone to the government because we want to get the input from the Greek government and the Greek people on this.

I also plan to talk to Fran Townsend who is the Undersecretary of Homeland Security. What we want to do is have a meeting immediately and get briefed by the Ambassador as well. It is a tragedy and my heart goes out to the Greek people.

We are very proud Greek Americans and we are all united. We are going to do whatever we can to help the people of Greece. I know we have already sent some aid over there, including fire kits. And our government will also provide federal assistance, about 1.2 million dollars.

We will reassess the situation to ensure that what we do is enough.

Our heart goes out and we are going to help them.

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Bilirakis, you represent a district of Florida, with a large Greek American constituency, including the picturesque harbor city of Tarpon Springs, which was established by sponge divers from the Greek islands of Kalymnos and Syros.

Yes, Kalymnos, Siros, Simi, Halki and a few others. But the main islands were Kalymnos, Simi and Halki.

VOA – G. BISTIS : Very good. Since you just flew in from Tarpon Springs this afternoon what is the mood of the community members there about the tragic events in Greece and what do they do in terms of helping out?

Τhe people in Tarpon Springs are very upset. They have a lot of relatives in Greece who suffer.

As you know, after the original sponge divers came, a lot of other immigrants from all over Greece also settled in Tarpon Springs and in the areas around it. It is a somber mood today.

We pray for the people of Greece. They are our brothers and sisters.

We have a great love for and a great connection with the people of Greece.

We are going to help out financially. As a matter of fact I’m going to go back to Florida in the next few days to work on organizing a fundraiser for the people of Greece.

We will do anything we can to help.

VOA – G. BISTIS : As I understand it, right now they have started a telethon in your district trying to collect funds for the victims of the fires in Greece and this telethon will continue for the next five to seven days depending on the response.

Yeah , we have an organization, I was just emailed on the way up.

We are also going to advertise to the newspapers how crucial for us it is to help out financially.

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Bilirakis, thank you very much for being with us today.

My pleasure.

VOA – G. BISTIS : I greatly appreciate that you came directly from the airport to be a part of this program.

 Anything we can do to help.

VOA – G. BISTIS : All the very best.

 Thank you Yiorgo.

      Rep. ZACK SPACE REACTION

America’s reaction to the destruction of the summer fires in Greece is discussed in this week’s edition of Reportaz Apo Washington, a VOA/Greek television presentation for affiliate stations in Greece, Cyprus and communities of the Hellenic Diaspora.

U.S. Representative Zack Space (D-OH) is one of the Congressional leaders who came to our studio to express his concern for the people of Greece at this critical hour and to offer hope to those affected by the disaster.

Several of his comments were included in this week’s edition of Reportaz Apo Washington.

However, other important comments made by the Congressman were edited out in order for the program to meet airing time constraints. Following is the full text of the interview granted by Congressman Space to VOA.

Transcript of Rep. Zack Space interview:

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Space, welcome.

 Thank you George.

VOA – G. BISTIS : You are the grandson of immigrants who came to the U.S. from Greece and you have not only enjoyed a very special relationship with your grandparents but also appreciated the values they instilled in you, when you were a child.

What were your feelings in the last several days when you watched on TV the ravaging effect the wildfires had in Greece?

It has been especially close to our family, my father and my entire extended family have been watching the events unfold with a very heavy heart. It is a humanitarian tragedy.

It is a historic tragedy and one that concerns us greatly.

My grandparents come from Ikaria and incidentally I was just at an Ikarian convention in Baltimore over the weekend and I can tell you Ikarians from across the country are concerned about this.

In fact the entire Greek American community in this nation is watching it with a very heavy heart.

Those values that you referenced a moment ago, George, are the very kinds of values that cause us to have deep empathy and concern for what many of us here in this country view to be as our motherland.

Concern for others who are in need, concern for the preservation of historical landmarks, certainly concern for those who are suffering and a desire to alleviate that suffering.

We in America are watching the situation very carefully and have grave concerns.

Again as an example of the kind of empathy that we are experiencing, this was the subject of conversation at our Ikarioti convention (an annual gathering of Americans descended from the Greek island of Ikaria) that was just held over the weekend and we are proud of the fact that the Ikarian Americans are raising money and donating money in an effort to help mitigate some of the crisis that has occurred there.

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Space, you and your Greek American colleagues in the House of Representatives have undertaken a number of initiatives aiming at generating greater awareness about the devastation in Greece among members of the legislative and the executive branches of our government and more importantly at helping to alleviate the suffering of the families affected by the fires. Could you elaborate on these efforts?

This is a bipartisan effort. We have three Greek Americans in Congress now, Gus Bilirakis who is a Republican from Florida, John Sarbanes, who is a Democrat from Maryland and I am a Democrat. This is not about partisan politics.

It is somewhat different than the norm in Washington. We have reached out to the State Department, we have signed on to a letter to Condoleezza Rice commending the State Department for its 1.3 million dollars in aid and encouraging them to dig deeper.

But we have also sponsored a resolution that again commends the active charity that we have given and encourage not just our government but also the people of this country to contribute to this international disaster.

We feel, and I am sure that Gus and John will agree with me, a special responsibility to do what we can to help alleviate the suffering that is going on in Greece and we are educating our fellow members who by the way are very receptive and responsive to the concerns of Greece.

We have a large Hellenic Caucus in Washington now, many non-Greeks who belong to Hellenic Caucus, and we are using that to help educate other members of the need for prompt and considerable action to help in this crisis.

Greece has been there for the United States. Greece was one of the first countries to respond after the 9/11 disaster in New York City.

Greece was there after Katrina, a couple of years ago, to help with humanitarian relief.

Now it is our turn to reach out and help those Greeks who are in need.

VOA – G. BISTIS : Congressman Space, thank you for coming to our studio and joining with the people of Greece as they mourn the fire victims.

 Thank you George and thank you for all the good work that you do.

      BASIL MOSSAIDES REACTION

America’s reaction to the destruction of the summer fires in Greece is discussed in this week’s edition of Reportaz Apo Washington, a VOA/Greek television presentation for affiliate stations in Greece, Cyprus and communities of the Hellenic Diaspora.

AHEPA Executive Director Basil Mossaides was among the community leaders who came to our studio to express concern for the people of Greece at this critical hour and to offer hope to those affected by the disaster.

He spoke on behalf of AHEPA Supreme President Ike Gulas, who was on travel to chapters coordinating AHEPA’s response to the crisis.

Several of his comments were included in this week’s edition of Reportaz Apo Washington. However, other important information offered by Mr. Mossaides was edited out in order for the program to meet airing time constraints.

Following is the full text of the interview granted by the AHEPA Executive Director to VOA.

Transcript of Basil Mossaides interview:

VOA – G. BISTIS : Mr. Mossaides, you are the Executive Director of AHEPA, the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, the largest and oldest Greek heritage organization in the United States.

Judging from the number of press releases issued in the last few days by AHEPA I would say that you are also one of the most active organizations in the drive to help Greece in its hour of need.

Tell us briefly your most important initiatives in this regard.

 First of all let me thank you very much and on behalf of our Supreme President, Mr. Ike Goulas, I want to thank you for all the hard work that you do promoting the voice of Hellenism all over the world, do what you do for us here and overseas.

Having said that, AHEPA’s efforts since we’ve been active on this Greek fire issue have been the following:

ü        Immediately upon receiving notification from the Greek government through their Ambassador, Alexandros Mallias, here in Washington DC, we scheduled a meeting at out headquarters’ office in downtown Washington.

The Ambassador and one of his counsel aides came to the office, and we outlined the 3 steps that the AHEPA was willing to take immediately.

ü        First, because the fires were burning out of control, at that point, we volunteered to mobilize our chapters to identify Greek-American, or Greek speaking volunteers to go over to Greece to help fight the fires.

Initially the government agreed with what we were doing.

Within 24 hour the fires became, in their view controllable, and we didn’t really need to send the firemen.

Though we did keep a database of the individuals who volunteered and we are thankful for those people and those communalities for doing so and we have those people ready to go to help in anyway they can, not just fighting fires, hopefully to help replenish the land, clean up the damage that has been done.

ü        Secondly, we immediately called our chapters, 435 of them in the States and asked to put together care packages that will be send directly to Greece, to the areas affected

As many of your viewers know we have 10 active AHEPA Chapters in Greece with over 150 members in Greece, AHEPANS. So we have people on the ground, in Greece, ready to help. We sent immediately from our hospital in Thessaloniki a team of doctors down to the Kalamata area to help in any first aid that was needed.

 And we have also made arrangements and have quire 10.000 heads of livestock that will be send to Kalamata, if they haven’t already been there.

The care packages that are being assembled are being sent to our headquarters in Washington and then they will be relayed to our chapters in Greece, which will directly give the materials to the individuals.

Those care packages consist of necessities.

I have in my office right now 4 pallets, 8.000 diapers that we are going to be sending, a thousand toothbrushes, hundreds of sleeping bags, pillows and blankets.

So these materials are being assembled by the AHEPA.

The AHEPA traditionally has been very active when Greece has an issue or a problem of this magnitude to rally the forces in the US to support Greece, either financially or by service.

We are a large community service organization.  This is what we know.

This is what we do.

In WWII we raised 300 million dollars in war bonds, so that’s maybe a billion dollars today, raising liberty bond sales.

So when push comes to shove the AHEPA knows what buttons to push.

ü        Lastly, what we’ve done is to initiate a fund drive, collection of money to be donated through the chapters and the individuals.

Currently in 4 days we raised 25.000 dollars on our Internet site, which is www.ahepa.org and people can electronically donate to the AHEPA Greek Fund Fire Relief.

We have 1-dollar contributors as we have 1.500-dollar contributors.

So the community is aware of it.

AHEPA also bridged outside the sphere of Greek-America on this issue.

We contacted the Serbian- Americans, the Italian-Americans trough the Niyev Foundation, the B’nai Brith, for the Jewish American organizations, and other organizations like that.

They represent what the AHEPA views as a bridge of our Greek-American community to the future.

Because only with creating alliances and friendships with other organizations can we work together to bring about better days for the people in Greece.

You see, 10 dollars are not going to solve this problem. A billion dollars are going to be needed to replenish the land with trees, with animals and home and we stand ready for the task.

VOA – G. BISTIS : This is extremely impressive. I knew that you were doing a lot of things but I did not know the extent of the assistance you are providing to the people of Greece.

The latest data we have from Greece indicates that the fires, in addition to the many deaths, have caused far more damage to property and the environment than it was earlier estimated.

Is AHEPA ready to respond to these additional challenges in order to help Greece put this very tragic situation behind it once and for all?

 Well, that’s the 100.000-dollar question that you have asked because not so much is AHEPA resilient enough to do the work but are Philhellenes across the globe willing to work together to assist Greece in rebuilding what they have lost?

Now, traditionally every country that has hot air temperatures suffers from force fires. You see what is going on in the United States where we have wild fires all summer long.

 Sometimes those natural elements take care of themselves. Unfortunately a lot of the fires in Greece may not have been natural. They were strategically placed and so Nature is not really prepared to replenish itself today.

But through the hard work of AHEPA and other organizations working together I believe that a lot of funds will be raised to replenish the lands, whether it is planting trees or regenerating the area so that they can cultivate their crops and their farm lands.

I think the first and most important step was taken when the AHEPA took the lead going and visiting the State Department, going to Capitol Hill and talking to the three Greek American Congressmen staffers and other Hellenic Caucus members office staffers to come up with a game plan.

What is it that we can ask the government to do and I know that several of the Congressmen have written a letter to Condoleezza Rice at the State Department requesting additional assistance, we have reached out to Ambassador Negroponte, who is over at the State Department now as well, and through various channels assisted in securing the 1.2 million dollars in aid that was released last week and we are hoping, we are meeting with the State Department again tomorrow, to find alternate and additional revenues for the rebuilding of Greece.

As I have heard through the news, Greece was first to come to the aid of the Katrina victims and I believe that the United States once asked by the Greek government, because these things are far more diplomatic in the way they are executed rather than me just jumping in. There is a procedure that takes place.

There is a formality that the governments must ask each other to assist.

That was done last week and I think that it would be an enhancement of everything we can provide them. I am sure that the AHEPA will work to secure any surplus items that they may need.

We will go there, we are going at the end of September, the Supreme President along with a selected leadership group to investigate, to commit to whatever it is that we are fundraising for and assist the Greek people in any way we can.

VOA – G. BISTIS : Mr. Mossaides, thank you very much for the update and good luck to both you and AHEPA Supreme President Ike Gulas with your fundraising drive.

I am confident that the people of Greece will appreciate your hard work.

 Thank you very much George

 Πηγή : www.voanews.com/greek