Natural disaster expert accuses Polakis of intimidation
Natural disaster expert Costas Synolakis, who has said authorities could have evacuated an area in eastern Attica before July's disastrous wildfires, has indicated that he may take legal action against Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis for targeting him in an online rant.
"Such threats and intimidating behavior are not fitting for a politician," the academic, of the Technical University of Crete, told Skai television.
He was responding to comments by Polakis on Facebook on Saturday calling on the professor to “clean up” a power pole outside his house from vines to avoid being electrocuted “in case of rain or fire.”
In his post, the minister named a specific address for the house. It is unclear whether this is Synolakis' real address.
A study, presented by Synolakis and five more experts, found that the hour and a half between when the blaze started on the slopes of Mount Penteli and when it reached Mati on the coast was ample to order people to go down to the seashore in an orderly manner.
