No pre-earthquake inspections have been carried out to date in Central Corfu schools
pre-earthquake inspections
11 Mar 2023
/ 00:12
CORFU. Meropi Ydraiou requested the assistance of the Corfu Technical Chamber until the Municipality΄s proposal is included in the ΄Antonis Tritsis΄ programme - The legal framework for the cooperation is being sought.
The Central Corfu Municipality's pre-earthquake inspection programme of critical infrastructure, which concerns all schools under its responsibility, did not move forward due to the usual slow bureaucratic procedures of the public sector.
Although the Municipal Authority submitted on 28 September 2021 a funding proposal to the Ministry of Interior's 'Antonis Tritsis' programme, with a budget of €173,600, it has not been evaluated to date by the responsible committees for its inclusion.
Similar proposals to the call entitled "Actions for infrastructures in need of earthquake protection (pre-earthquake inspection)" were submitted by almost all municipalities in the country, as the inspection for the resilience of public buildings, starting from schools and hospitals, is now mandatory.
However, the number of files submitted in relation to the number of evaluation committees of the 'Antonis Tritsis' programme is disproportionate. Thus, the request of the Central Corfu Municipality has not been examined yet.
Parents and teachers are complaining
In the meantime, parents and teachers are complaining for the pre-earthquake inspections that have not been carried out to date, raising the issue of protecting schools at every opportunity. "Since 2021, when plaster fell in the 6th Nursery School, the municipal authority had promised to immediately include the pre-earthquake inspection of all schools in the 'Antonis Tritsis' programme. Two years later, nothing has been done at all, apart from the bureaucratic procedures, which however have not been accompanied obviously by the appropriate pressure of the local government to the government in order to solve the problem permanently," said the President of Corfu Primary Teachers Union Antonis Koursaris.
He added that immediate solutions need to be found, as the Municipality's school infrastructure is outdated and poorly maintained, noting that there are complaints about stability problems in schools, such as the Old Town Primary School and the Vocational High School in Mantouki.
As the Old Town Primary School Director Christos Anthis told Enimerosi, the building has suffered subsidence. "It is found on the ground floor to the 1st floor. The municipality fixed two plasters and that was it," he said.
Ydraiou's letter to Technical Chamber
On 1 March the Mayor Meropi Ydraiou sent a letter to the Corfu Technical Chamber President Yiannis Metallinos and asked for the body's assistance, in the framework of their cooperation, in order to conduct a pre-earthquake inspection to assess the seismic capacity of the municipality's school buildings until the project is included and funded by the state.
In the letter she pointed out that the Municipality submitted a funding proposal to the 'Antonis Tritsis' programme a year and a half ago, which however has not yet been evaluated. Thus, it asked the Corfu Technical Chamber to consider the possibility of setting up a working group for this purpose. The Municipality has already informed the Ministry about this action, reminding that there has been no development since September 2021.
The legal framework is being sought
The issue was discussed a few days ago at the meeting of the Corfu Technical Chamber. As Yiannis Metallinos told Enimerosi, the Chamber is always available to offer to the local community. However, the legal framework is being sought, so that the cooperation is legal (e.g. programmatic contract). As he said, all infrastructure (not just schools) that was built before 1995 is old and shows reduced design strength, compared to the newer regulation, and therefore it would be good for them to be checked and if necessary reinforced.
Although the Municipal Authority submitted on 28 September 2021 a funding proposal to the Ministry of Interior's 'Antonis Tritsis' programme, with a budget of €173,600, it has not been evaluated to date by the responsible committees for its inclusion.
Similar proposals to the call entitled "Actions for infrastructures in need of earthquake protection (pre-earthquake inspection)" were submitted by almost all municipalities in the country, as the inspection for the resilience of public buildings, starting from schools and hospitals, is now mandatory.
However, the number of files submitted in relation to the number of evaluation committees of the 'Antonis Tritsis' programme is disproportionate. Thus, the request of the Central Corfu Municipality has not been examined yet.
Parents and teachers are complaining
In the meantime, parents and teachers are complaining for the pre-earthquake inspections that have not been carried out to date, raising the issue of protecting schools at every opportunity. "Since 2021, when plaster fell in the 6th Nursery School, the municipal authority had promised to immediately include the pre-earthquake inspection of all schools in the 'Antonis Tritsis' programme. Two years later, nothing has been done at all, apart from the bureaucratic procedures, which however have not been accompanied obviously by the appropriate pressure of the local government to the government in order to solve the problem permanently," said the President of Corfu Primary Teachers Union Antonis Koursaris.
He added that immediate solutions need to be found, as the Municipality's school infrastructure is outdated and poorly maintained, noting that there are complaints about stability problems in schools, such as the Old Town Primary School and the Vocational High School in Mantouki.
As the Old Town Primary School Director Christos Anthis told Enimerosi, the building has suffered subsidence. "It is found on the ground floor to the 1st floor. The municipality fixed two plasters and that was it," he said.
Ydraiou's letter to Technical Chamber
On 1 March the Mayor Meropi Ydraiou sent a letter to the Corfu Technical Chamber President Yiannis Metallinos and asked for the body's assistance, in the framework of their cooperation, in order to conduct a pre-earthquake inspection to assess the seismic capacity of the municipality's school buildings until the project is included and funded by the state.
In the letter she pointed out that the Municipality submitted a funding proposal to the 'Antonis Tritsis' programme a year and a half ago, which however has not yet been evaluated. Thus, it asked the Corfu Technical Chamber to consider the possibility of setting up a working group for this purpose. The Municipality has already informed the Ministry about this action, reminding that there has been no development since September 2021.
The legal framework is being sought
The issue was discussed a few days ago at the meeting of the Corfu Technical Chamber. As Yiannis Metallinos told Enimerosi, the Chamber is always available to offer to the local community. However, the legal framework is being sought, so that the cooperation is legal (e.g. programmatic contract). As he said, all infrastructure (not just schools) that was built before 1995 is old and shows reduced design strength, compared to the newer regulation, and therefore it would be good for them to be checked and if necessary reinforced.
