Sitting on my veranda, contemplating the beautiful blue of the Mediterranean Sea at the Gulf of Corinth, I marvel at how incredible this part of the world is—an excellent combination of sea, islands, mountains, and a great climate. Indeed our ancestors felt the same pleasure as they, during their time, relaxed and enjoyed the same view thousands of years ago.

But, as I am sipping my shot of ouzo, I suddenly feel a sort of rumble, as though from a distant truck, followed a second later by a jolt, almost as if I became suddenly slightly dizzy. But no, it wasn’t me; it was the house rocking a bit. Earthquake!

But, being a true Greek, I, of course, ignored it, just another of the very frequent tremblors that are part of the reality of Greece. In my case, this one was part of a swarm of 20-30 events felt in the last few days. They are thankfully small, in the range of 1 to 3 on the “Richter Scale.”

Coming from California and being involved with the aftermath of some nasty Earthquakes and in the retrofit design of bridges and other structures to withstand future ones, these little jolts are insignificant. In fact, one can almost say desirable because current wisdom says that if stresses that build up over years or centuries occasionally snap suddenly, they cause much more damage than if this tension is gradually relieved by many more minor shakes.

I am reminded that the famous San Andreas fault that devastated San Francisco has not been moving for over a century! When it lets go again…

Back to Greece, however, the land is so earthquake-prone that no particular location is immune from the wrath of the giant Enceladus, the bringer of earthquakes (trapped under Mt. Etna, he gets ornery now and then.) So, when Enceladus stretches a bit, there are devastating events recorded in history – some in more detail than others, and some with questionable accuracy.

Scientists have recently estimated these historic earthquakes’ Richter Scale “R” (energy produced). Here are the most notable ones and their reports:

  • 2022 – 5.5M quake in Florina damages buildings; 2 hospitalized.
  • 2021 – 6.4M quake destroys chapel in Lasithi.
  • 2021 – 6.0M quake kills 1 in Crete.
  • 2021 – 6.3M quake kills 1, injures 3 in Larissa.
  • 2020 – 5.1M quake levels cemetery in Thiva.
  • 2020 – 7.0M Aegean Sea quake kills 2 in Greece, 114 in Turkey.
  • 2020 – 5.7M quake in Parga felt widely; 2 injured.
  • 2019 – 6.1M offshore Antikythera quake causes some damage.
  • 2019 – 5.3M Athens quake injures 7, damages buildings.
  • 2019 – 5.4M Galaxidi quake causes minor damage.
  • 2018 – 6.8M Ionian Sea quake prompts tsunami warning.
  • 2017 – 6.6M Kos quake kills 2, injures 150 in Greece, 370 in Turkey.
  • 2017 – 6.3M Lesbos quake kills 1, injures 10+.
  • 2015 – 6.5M Lefkada quake kills 2.
  • 2014 – 6.9M Limnos quake kills 3, injures 324, collapses houses.
  • 2008 – 6.4M Dodecanese quake kills 1.
  • 2008 – 6.0M Methoni quake starts 4-quake swarm.
  • 2008 – 6.4M Peloponnese quake injures 240.
  • 2008 – 6.1M Methoni quake in swarm.
  • 2008 – 6.7 & 6.6M Methoni quakes cause minor damage, continue swarm.
  • 2008 – 6.6M Arcadia quake.
  • 2006 – 6.7-6.9M Kythira quake injures 3.
  • 2005 – 6.0M Zakynthos quake, no damage.
  • 2003 – 6.4M Lefkada quake.
  • 2002 – 6.6M Crete-Karpathos quake, no damage.
  • 1999 – 6.0M Athens quake kills 143, injures 1,600, $3-4B damage.
  • 1995 – 6.4M Aigio quake kills 26, injures 60, $660M damage.
  • 1995 – 6.6M Kozani-Grevena quake injures 12-25, $450M damage.
  • 1990 – 6.1M Goumenissa-Edessa quake kills 1, injures 60.
  • 1990 – 6.0M Preveza quake injures 1.
  • 1988 – 6.0M Kyllini quake.
  • 1986 – 6.0M Kalamata quake kills 20+, injures 300, $5M damage.
  • 1981 – 7.2M Lesbos quake collapses 7 buildings.
  • 1981 – 6.7M Athens quake kills 20-22, injures 500, $812M damage, destroys 22,554 buildings, local tsunami.
  • 1980 – 6.5M Almyros quake injures 24, destroys 5,222 buildings.
  • 1978 – 6.2-6.5M Thessaloniki quake kills 45-50, injures 100-220.
  • 1973 – 6.0M Palaiochora quake.
  • 1968 – 7.1-7.2M Agios Efstratios quake kills 20, injures 39, local tsunami.
  • 1967 – 6.4M Drosopighe quake kills 9, injures 56.
  • 1966 – 6.0M Katouna quake kills 1, injures 43.
  • 1966 – 6.0M Megalopolis quake injures 24.
  • 1966 – 6.2M Kremasta quake kills 1, injures 65, collapses 731 buildings.
  • 1965 – 6.3M Erateini quake kills 1, injures 6, collapses 575 buildings.
  • 1965 – 6.1M Kandanos quake.
  • 1965 – 6.1M Apiditsa quake kills 18, injures 17, collapses 1,426 buildings.
  • 1965 – 6.1M Alonnisos quake kills 2, injures 2, collapses 1,941 buildings.
  • 1959 – 6.3M Pitsidia quake injures 8.
  • 1957 – 7.2M Rhodes quake kills 18 in Turkey, destroys 3,000 buildings.
  • 1956 – 7.5M Amorgos quake kills 53, injures 100, triggers Aegean tsunami.
  • 1955 – 6.9M Samos-Agathonisi quake injures 2.
  • 1955 – 6.2M Lechonia quake kills 1, injures 41.
  • 1954 – 6.7-7.0M Sofades quake kills 25-31, destroys 6,559 buildings.
  • 1953 – 6.3M Kandila quake.
  • 1953 – 6.4, 6.8 & 7.2M Cephalonia-Zakynthos quakes kill 445-800, injure 2,412, level 3 islands, destroy 27,659 buildings.
  • 1947 – 7.0M Messenia quake kills 3, injures 20.
  • 1941 – 6.3M Larissa quake kills 40, injures 100, heavily damages city.
  • 1938 – 6.0M Oropos quake kills 18, injures 107, leaves 8,000 homeless.
  • 1933 – 6.6M Kos quake kills 74-200, injures 600.
  • 1932 – 7.0M Ierissos quake kills 161-491, injures 669, destroys 4,106 buildings, tsunami.
  • 1928 – 6.0M Corinth quake kills 20, destroys 3,000 homes, tsunami.
  • 1917 – 6.0M Nafpaktos quake.
  • 1914 – 6.3M Lefkada quake kills 16, small tsunami.
  • 1904 – 6.8M Samos quake kills 4, injures 7, destroys 540 buildings.
  • 1902 – 6.6M Assiros quake kills 5.
  • 1895 – 6.3M Paramythia quake kills 75, injures 46.
  • 1894 – 6.7 & 7.0M Atalanti quakes kill 255, destroy 3,783 buildings.
  • 1893 – 6.2M Thebes quake kills 2.
  • 1893 – 6.4M Zakynthos quake destroys 2,000 of 4,500 buildings.
  • 1905 – 6.7M Lesbos quake kills 36, injures 200.
  • 1893 – 6.8M Samothrace quake kills 1, injures 10-20.
  • 1886 – 7.5M Filiatra quake kills 326-600, injures 796, collapses/damages 6,000 buildings, destroys 123 villages, tsunami.
  • 1881 – 6.5-7.3M Chios-Çeşme-Alaçatı quakes kill 3,550, injure 7,000.
  • 1870 – 6.8M Arachova quake kills 117, injures 380, destroys 2,000 buildings.
  • 1869 – 6.4M Lefkada quake kills 15, leaves only 20-25 houses standing.
  • 1867 – 6.8-7.0M Lesbos quakes kill 550, injure 816, damage 10,275 buildings.
  • 1867 – 7.2M Lixouri quake kills 200-224, collapses 2,612 buildings.
  • 1866 – 6.1M Santorini quake triggers volcanic activity.
  • 1865 – 6.7M Lesbos quake kills 10.
  • 1861 – 6.7M Valimitika quake kills 20, Corinth tsunami.
  • 1858 – 6.7M Corinth quake kills 21, injures 65.
  • 1856 – 8.2M Rhodes-Crete quake kills 538, injures 638, destroys 16,512 homes, Aegean tsunami.
  • 1853 – 6.8M Thebes quake destroys most city buildings.
  • 1846 – 6.5M Messini quake kills 30, destroys 2,500 buildings.
  • 1840 – Zakynthos quake kills 12.
  • 1837 – 6.2M Hydra quake kills 1.
  • 1829 – 7.3M Xanthi quake destroys cities and villages.
  • 1825 – 6.5M Lefkada quake.
  • 1817 – 6.6M Helike quake.
  • 1810 – 7.5M Heraklion quake kills 2,000.
  • 1804 – 6.4M Patras quake kills 10.
  • 1752 – 7.5M East Thrace quake kills 100+, devastates cities.
  • 1630 – Major Crete quake.
  • 1481 – 7.1M Rhodes quake kills 30,000, tsunami.
  • 1303 – ~8.0M Crete-Alexandria quake kills thousands, damages lighthouse, tsunami.
  • 856 – Major Corinth quake kills 45,000.
  • 515 – Major Rhodes quake, high death toll.
  • 365 – 8.5+M Crete-Alexandria quake kills thousands, 9m Crete uplift, Alexandria tsunami.
  • 226 BC – Rhodes quake topples Colossus.
  • 426 BC – 7.0M Skarfeia quake kills 2,550.
  • 464 BC – 7.2M Sparta quake kills ~20,000.

Greece is an earthquake country, no doubt about it. Public information is often issued about safety and survivability during earthquakes, and the basic recommendations deal with immediate protection from falling weights (some of the worst places to stand are sidewalks, where harm can come from above.)

But there is another important aspect of earthquakes to consider. It has to do with surviving the earthquake itself (as most but the much fewer unfortunates do) with your undamaged home as shelter, but then facing days or weeks without the comfort of running water, electricity, food, fuel, important medications, and sanitation.

Earthquakes disrupt these daily necessities, and depending on where one is, it could take a very long time to restore such services. So a word to the wise – about earthquake preparedness – is not so much to survive injury during the event, but survive without essential services for some time, possibly weeks!

And a last word of comfort – Think: “It will not happen during my lifetime!”