Greece prepares to count fire cost
By Clare Davidson Business reporter, BBC News
Greece has seen some of its worst fires in years, leaving property destroyed and land ravaged, forcing people to flee their homes and livelihoods.
希臘經歷了近年來最慘重的大火, 大火摧毀了房舍與土地, 迫使人們逃離他們的家園與生計.
It is far from clear what the long-term impact of the devastation will be on the Greek economy as a whole.
到目前為止尚不清楚大火蹂躪下的荒蕪對希臘整體經濟會有什麼長期的影響.
But there are fears that damage to the Peloponnese region of Southern Greece - an olive-producing heartland which has borne the brunt of the fires - could seriously harm the local economy for some time to come.
但令人擔憂的是,對希臘南部伯羅奔尼撒地區這個生產橄欖的重鎮,遭逢大火重創所帶來的損失,將可能好一陣子嚴重傷害當地的經濟.
The Greek government has pledged to speed up compensation for those whose homes or land have been affected.
希臘政府已承諾將加快對受災戶補償金的發放.
The Ministry of Finance has already announced grants for the immediate needs of victims, compensation for domestic equipment, and increased grants for the families of the deceased.
財政部宣布將給予受災者立即的需求, 家用設備的補助金,以及提高對罹難者家屬的撫卹金.
"The government has decided the priority will be to the villages with the greatest number of fatal victims - Artamitha, Makistos and Smirna from the municipality of Zacharo," government spokesman Bororis Resopolis said.
政府發言人Bororis Resopolis說:"政府已經決定Zacharo市的Artamitha, Makistos以及Smirna幾個死傷最為慘重的村子將享有優先權,"
According to Dee Murphy, a freelance journalist for the BBC, who has just come back from the region, queues were already forming at banks in Zacharo for those seeking government aid.
Dee Murphy,BBC的自由記者剛才從這個地區回來, 據她所述, 那些尋求政府援助的人已經在Zacharo的幾個銀行前大排長龍.
Much of the area is dominated by farmers, so losing their homes means losing their livelihoods, she said.
居住這個地區的大部份都是農民, 因此失去他們的房產等於就是失去他們的生計, 她說.
Without feed for their livestock or water for their produce, their income is threatened she added.
沒有東西可以餵養他們的牲口或他們的農產無水可用, 他們的收入受到了威脅. 她補充道.
Output hit
希臘經歷了近年來最慘重的大火, 大火摧毀了房舍與土地, 迫使人們逃離他們的家園與生計.
It is far from clear what the long-term impact of the devastation will be on the Greek economy as a whole.
到目前為止尚不清楚大火蹂躪下的荒蕪對希臘整體經濟會有什麼長期的影響.
But there are fears that damage to the Peloponnese region of Southern Greece - an olive-producing heartland which has borne the brunt of the fires - could seriously harm the local economy for some time to come.
但令人擔憂的是,對希臘南部伯羅奔尼撒地區這個生產橄欖的重鎮,遭逢大火重創所帶來的損失,將可能好一陣子嚴重傷害當地的經濟.
The Greek government has pledged to speed up compensation for those whose homes or land have been affected.
希臘政府已承諾將加快對受災戶補償金的發放.
The Ministry of Finance has already announced grants for the immediate needs of victims, compensation for domestic equipment, and increased grants for the families of the deceased.
財政部宣布將給予受災者立即的需求, 家用設備的補助金,以及提高對罹難者家屬的撫卹金.
"The government has decided the priority will be to the villages with the greatest number of fatal victims - Artamitha, Makistos and Smirna from the municipality of Zacharo," government spokesman Bororis Resopolis said.
政府發言人Bororis Resopolis說:"政府已經決定Zacharo市的Artamitha, Makistos以及Smirna幾個死傷最為慘重的村子將享有優先權,"
According to Dee Murphy, a freelance journalist for the BBC, who has just come back from the region, queues were already forming at banks in Zacharo for those seeking government aid.
Dee Murphy,BBC的自由記者剛才從這個地區回來, 據她所述, 那些尋求政府援助的人已經在Zacharo的幾個銀行前大排長龍.
Much of the area is dominated by farmers, so losing their homes means losing their livelihoods, she said.
居住這個地區的大部份都是農民, 因此失去他們的房產等於就是失去他們的生計, 她說.
Without feed for their livestock or water for their produce, their income is threatened she added.
沒有東西可以餵養他們的牲口或他們的農產無水可用, 他們的收入受到了威脅. 她補充道.
Output hit
While it is too early to gauge the impact, it is clear the scale of the fires is exceptional.
儘管現在要對這個衝擊做出評估還太早, 可以確信的是火災的規模異常的大.
According to the BBC's Dominic Hughes, more than 120 major fires have been reported this year compared to 52 for the whole of last year.
據BBC的Dominic Hughes所說, 相較於去年一整年52場的火災, 今年就已經據報有超過120場重大火災.
The government has not posted any official figures on the total costs though unconfirmed estimates have been issued in the local media.
政府迄今仍未對總體損失公佈任何官方數據, 然而未經證實的估計值卻已被當地媒體公佈出來.
Greek newspaper Kathimerini said the cost of damages will exceed 3bn euros, or 0.6% of GDP, while another newspaper Express put the figure at 0.7% economic output.
希臘Kathimerini報社說損失將超過3兆歐元, 或0.6%的GDP, 而另一間Express報社則將數據定在0.7%的經濟產出.
Eirianna Kouri, from the British Embassy in Athens, cited Kathimerini as saying that 270,000 hectares and 4,500 homes had been burned by fires this summer.
Eirianna Kouri,從駐雅典的英國大使館,引述Kathimerini的報導, 說這個夏天就有270,000公頃的土地以及4,500間房屋慘遭祝融.
George Georgakopoulos, the acting financial editor of Kathimerini told the BBC that four areas - Ilia, Laconia, Arcadia and Messina - which are all in the Peloponnese, in addition to the island of Evia - represent 4.5% of Greece's annual GDP
George Georgakopoulos, Kathimerini的金融代理編輯告訴BBC, Ilia, Laconia, Arcadia和Messina這四個地區全在伯羅奔尼撒,另外還有Evia島 - 在希臘年度GDP中就占了4.5%.
Olive groves
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Kalamata and the surrounding area - one of the worst affected - is one of the country's main olive growing regions.
根據農業部發言人表示, 受創最嚴重的Kalamatia及周邊地區,是希臘主要幾個橄欖種植地之一.
He said about 20% of Greece's olives are grown there.
他說希臘約有20%的橄欖是在那裡種植的.
The region is renowned for producing high quality olives that are used for extra virgin olive oil, which is sold at a premium.
這個地區就是因出產高品質的橄欖而聞名遐邇, 那是用來製作價格昂貴上等精純的橄欖油.
As well as being a key exporter to EU countries such as Spain and Italy, Greece also sells to countries including the US and China.
同樣是歐盟國家如西班牙與義大利的主要輸出國, 希臘也銷往其它國家, 包含美國與中國.
Ms Murphy said one farmer she spoke to who grew olives exclusively had lost 500 out of 700 trees, and estimated it would take up to five years to recover and yield a full crop again.
Murphy女士說, 一位和她談過的農民, 在他所種植的700棵橄欖樹中就折損了500棵, 而且估計從復原一直栽種到可以採收還要花個五年的時間.
Tourism
Graphic pictures of the damage wrought by the fires have inevitably raised fears that it could prevent tourists from visiting Greece, further damaging the local economy.
大火造成損失一幕幕驚心動魄的影像不免讓人心生疑慮, 為此裹足不前的觀光客會更進一步的重創當地經濟.
But while Greece may be a popular tourist destination, visitors tend to go to the Greek islands at this time of year more than the Peloponnese, said Manos Hatzimalonas, from the Greek National Tourism Office (GNTO) in London.
在倫敦, 希臘國家旅遊局的Manos Hatzimalonas說, 儘管希臘是個受歡迎的旅遊勝地, 比起伯羅奔尼, 在這個時節觀光客還是傾向去希臘的島嶼.
"No developed tourist areas have been affected by the fires as those areas consist of mostly rural and mountainous terrain," he said.
"發展完善的觀光區並沒有受到火災的影響, 因為這些地區多半都是農村和山地," 他說.
But he added that "all figures are speculative at this early stage with fires still burning and people still missing".
但他隨即說到 "現在大火仍在繼續蔓延而且到目前為止還找不到失蹤者, 在這個階段所有的數據都是推測出來的"
Nonetheless, there are hotels in the region which have clearly been impacted.
即便是如此, 當地的旅館還是受到明顯的衝擊.
Panagiotis Zafiropoulos, the head of the Olympia Palace Hotel, told the BBC World Service that the hotel had been empty of clients and tour groups since Sunday night due to the "terrible smoke" making it impossible to breathe.
Panagiotis Zafiropoulos,Olympia Palace 飯店的主管,告訴BBC World Service 飯店從星期天的晚上就因為令人呼吸困難的濃煙, 已經沒有房客或旅行團了.
"We though it was better to call tour operators to tell them to take tour groups to other destinations," he said.
"我們認為打電話叫旅行社將他們的旅行團帶到其他觀光景點會比較好一些," 他說.
However, the hotel - which overlooks the ancient site of Olympia - had been full of radio and TV reporters covering the fires.
然而, 可以俯瞰奧林匹亞古蹟的飯店,早已住滿了前來報導火災的廣播與電視台記者.
But he predicted that life in Olympia would return to normal by Wednesday.
但是,他預測在星期三之前, 奧林匹亞的一切步調都將會恢復正常.
Ms Murphy, meanwhile, said some of the land around the hotel she had been staying in Pyrgos had been burnt and the hotel had closed as a result.
同時, Murphy女士說, 她之前在Pyrgos待過的飯店, 其周圍鄰地有部份已經遭到焚毀, 飯店也因此被迫停業.
Recovery time
Even once the fires are out, there is the ongoing issue of land which has been damaged.
即使火一旦撲滅, 在毀損了的土地上仍舊有沒完沒了的問題.
It can take up to four years, on average, for Mediterranean shrub land to recover, said Dr Paulo Barbosa of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
EFFIS的Paulo Barbosa 博士說, 地中海灌木林平均需要四年的時間才能復原.
As for forest regeneration, it can take between two and three decades.
至於森林的再生, 就要花上二三十年.
Back in 2003, severe forest fires swept across Europe, with Portugal seeing the worst damage Dr Barbosa said.
追溯到2003年, 猛烈的森林大火肆虐歐洲, Barbosa博士說, 葡萄牙災情最為慘重.
At the time, Portugal estimated that 270,000 hectares of forest land had been destroyed as well as 25,000 hectares of agricultural land.
當時,葡萄牙估計有270,000公頃的林地與25,000公頃的農地被摧毀.
Portugal was awarded 31m euros from the European Commission's Solidarity Fund - but the total amount claimed was 946.5m euros in direct damage.
葡萄牙從執行委員會的團結基金得到31百萬歐元的援助 - 但總計大火直接造成的損失就高達946.5百萬歐元
The disaster was reported to have caused the loss of goods, jobs and work for some 45,000 people.
根據農業部發言人表示, 受創最嚴重的Kalamatia及周邊地區,是希臘主要幾個橄欖種植地之一.
He said about 20% of Greece's olives are grown there.
他說希臘約有20%的橄欖是在那裡種植的.
The region is renowned for producing high quality olives that are used for extra virgin olive oil, which is sold at a premium.
這個地區就是因出產高品質的橄欖而聞名遐邇, 那是用來製作價格昂貴上等精純的橄欖油.
As well as being a key exporter to EU countries such as Spain and Italy, Greece also sells to countries including the US and China.
同樣是歐盟國家如西班牙與義大利的主要輸出國, 希臘也銷往其它國家, 包含美國與中國.
Ms Murphy said one farmer she spoke to who grew olives exclusively had lost 500 out of 700 trees, and estimated it would take up to five years to recover and yield a full crop again.
Murphy女士說, 一位和她談過的農民, 在他所種植的700棵橄欖樹中就折損了500棵, 而且估計從復原一直栽種到可以採收還要花個五年的時間.
Tourism
Graphic pictures of the damage wrought by the fires have inevitably raised fears that it could prevent tourists from visiting Greece, further damaging the local economy.
大火造成損失一幕幕驚心動魄的影像不免讓人心生疑慮, 為此裹足不前的觀光客會更進一步的重創當地經濟.
But while Greece may be a popular tourist destination, visitors tend to go to the Greek islands at this time of year more than the Peloponnese, said Manos Hatzimalonas, from the Greek National Tourism Office (GNTO) in London.
在倫敦, 希臘國家旅遊局的Manos Hatzimalonas說, 儘管希臘是個受歡迎的旅遊勝地, 比起伯羅奔尼, 在這個時節觀光客還是傾向去希臘的島嶼.
"No developed tourist areas have been affected by the fires as those areas consist of mostly rural and mountainous terrain," he said.
"發展完善的觀光區並沒有受到火災的影響, 因為這些地區多半都是農村和山地," 他說.
But he added that "all figures are speculative at this early stage with fires still burning and people still missing".
但他隨即說到 "現在大火仍在繼續蔓延而且到目前為止還找不到失蹤者, 在這個階段所有的數據都是推測出來的"
Nonetheless, there are hotels in the region which have clearly been impacted.
即便是如此, 當地的旅館還是受到明顯的衝擊.
Panagiotis Zafiropoulos, the head of the Olympia Palace Hotel, told the BBC World Service that the hotel had been empty of clients and tour groups since Sunday night due to the "terrible smoke" making it impossible to breathe.
Panagiotis Zafiropoulos,Olympia Palace 飯店的主管,告訴BBC World Service 飯店從星期天的晚上就因為令人呼吸困難的濃煙, 已經沒有房客或旅行團了.
"We though it was better to call tour operators to tell them to take tour groups to other destinations," he said.
"我們認為打電話叫旅行社將他們的旅行團帶到其他觀光景點會比較好一些," 他說.
However, the hotel - which overlooks the ancient site of Olympia - had been full of radio and TV reporters covering the fires.
然而, 可以俯瞰奧林匹亞古蹟的飯店,早已住滿了前來報導火災的廣播與電視台記者.
But he predicted that life in Olympia would return to normal by Wednesday.
但是,他預測在星期三之前, 奧林匹亞的一切步調都將會恢復正常.
Ms Murphy, meanwhile, said some of the land around the hotel she had been staying in Pyrgos had been burnt and the hotel had closed as a result.
同時, Murphy女士說, 她之前在Pyrgos待過的飯店, 其周圍鄰地有部份已經遭到焚毀, 飯店也因此被迫停業.
Recovery time
Even once the fires are out, there is the ongoing issue of land which has been damaged.
即使火一旦撲滅, 在毀損了的土地上仍舊有沒完沒了的問題.
It can take up to four years, on average, for Mediterranean shrub land to recover, said Dr Paulo Barbosa of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
EFFIS的Paulo Barbosa 博士說, 地中海灌木林平均需要四年的時間才能復原.
As for forest regeneration, it can take between two and three decades.
至於森林的再生, 就要花上二三十年.
Back in 2003, severe forest fires swept across Europe, with Portugal seeing the worst damage Dr Barbosa said.
追溯到2003年, 猛烈的森林大火肆虐歐洲, Barbosa博士說, 葡萄牙災情最為慘重.
At the time, Portugal estimated that 270,000 hectares of forest land had been destroyed as well as 25,000 hectares of agricultural land.
當時,葡萄牙估計有270,000公頃的林地與25,000公頃的農地被摧毀.
Portugal was awarded 31m euros from the European Commission's Solidarity Fund - but the total amount claimed was 946.5m euros in direct damage.
葡萄牙從執行委員會的團結基金得到31百萬歐元的援助 - 但總計大火直接造成的損失就高達946.5百萬歐元
The disaster was reported to have caused the loss of goods, jobs and work for some 45,000 people.
這場災難據報導,約造成約45,000人財產與工作的損失.
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/6968799.stm
Published: 2007/08/29 17:15:15 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Published: 2007/08/29 17:15:15 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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