Ithaca Earthquake of 1953

The earthquake of 1953 in Ithaca, in the Ionian: The catastrophic earthquake of 1953 completely ruined the majority of the houses on Ithaca. There were a few exceptions though, like the Drakoulis mansion which still has much of its grandeur intact. The 1953 earthquake had reached tremors of 7.2 on the Richter scale. The damage was extensive and entire towns and villages of Ithaca were literally razed. Hundreds of people perished and many were rendered homeless. The principal streets were all filled with debris and wreckages.

As the earthquake occurred on midday, people were engaged in cooking for lunchtime, which meant fires spread out extensively and large scale damage to houses and properties. In the aftermath of the quake, more than 70% of the buildings of Ithaca were demolished. Newer earthquake-resistant villages came up. Today, one can safely presume that should another earthquake occur in Ithaca, not a soul will be lost or so claim the local authorities.

The international community had offered its assistance both in kind and cash to meet the exigency of the devastating earthquake. Notable among them were the USA, UK, France, Norway, and Sweden. In the aftermath of the earthquake, many residents decided to leave their homeland and proceeded elsewhere in search of greener pastures for a better quality of life.