SAE U.S.A - World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE)

Greece is up in flames! Your help is needed now

My Dear Compatriots,

IT is now a catastrophe of Biblical proportions. Fires in almost all regions in Greece have decimated forests, torched hundreds of homes and wiped out the entire livelihood of hundreds of families.

It is an unprecedented tragedy. We are already lamenting 51 dead in Eleia and Laconia. The estimate of people trapped by fires or suffering severe burns is much greater and we fear that the number of victims will increase dramatically. At least three prefectures, Messenia, Laconia and Eleia, have been declared disaster areas.

Greek media are talking about “a national tragedy” and portray a nightmarish picture of the fires that have reached 170 in number in the past two days.

It is our sacred duty to unite our efforts and to respond to the urgent cry for help. In the past we have demonstrated that united we can accomplish the nearly impossible. This is probably the greatest disaster that the land of our fathers has suffered in the last half century. Greece has lost priceless resources that have allowed the country to breathe the fresh air of forests. The environmental destruction is unimaginable and people have been left homeless.
SAE / USA is appealing to all Hellenes to contribute whatever you can to the bank account listed below to provide relief, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to families victimized by the fires and to fund reforestation of devastated areas through the SAE / USA project “Plant Your Roots in Greece.”

Please make your contributions payable to “Plant Your Roots in Greece” and send them to

Chicago Community Bank Acct: # 459-0070-59

234 S Wabash Ave FL2-Chicago, IL 60604-2365

Deposits in Greece:

Alpha Bank Acct: # 143-0021-1-037288

Eurobank Acct: # 0026.0012.39.0100763237

We stand in support of the victims’ families and we salute the superhuman efforts of Greece’s fire fighters, the army and the citizens battling the raging fires.

Dear Compatriots,It is imperative for all Hellenes to respond to the appeal and help our mother country in its hour of need. It is our sacred duty to provide relief to victims and to aid in the reforestation effort to replace all that has been lost in this unprecedented ecological tragedy.

Ted G. Spyropoulos