Status: 07/25/2023 1:26 p.m
A family from Preetz wanted to spend their summer vacation on the Greek island of Rhodes. Then came the fire. The family had to flee their hotel. Mother Jessica told NDR Schleswig-Holstein about the evacuation.
They were so looking forward to their vacation. Switch off for a few days. Spend the whole day at the beach. Escape the stress of everyday life. This is how Jessica (36) from Preetz (Ploen district) imagined her vacation with her partner and her two sons, three and ten years old.
Last Tuesday the family traveled to Rhodes. They had booked a hotel in Kiotari in the southeast of the island. Then came the fire. The family had to flee. The mother reported to NDR Schleswig-Holstein about her vacation, which turned into a nightmare.
NDR Schleswig-Holstein: Jessica, how are you?
Jessica: Actually, we’re doing really well again today. We were able to sleep in a normal bed again last night. Had an apartment just for us. That did us a lot of good before we can hopefully fly home tonight.
How exhausting have the past few days been?
Jessica: Very, very hard. It started on Saturday afternoon. We had to abruptly leave our hotel in Kiotari [liegt im Südosten von Rhodos, Anm. d. Red.] leave – without a chance to pack our things. Suddenly someone knocked on the door of our apartments. Then it was: “Go, go, go.” We took our two children by the hand, grabbed our passports and walked to the beach where hundreds of other people were already waiting. From there we saw the flames on the horizon – getting closer and closer.
How are your two children dealing with the situation?
Jessica: Our three year old sees it more as a big adventure. But our ten-year-old son fared very differently. At the time he was really scared. He held my hand as we walked across the beach. He kept turning around. And when he saw the fire he said to me, “Mom, I don’t want to die yet. I’m too young to die.”
How could you calm him down?
Jessica: (swallows) There’s not much left. As a mother you have to stay strong. Of course we were scared ourselves – especially after we went to a collection point in Gennadi (also located in the southeast of Rhodes, Anm. d. Red.) were brought, the buses didn’t come and the flames worked their way closer and closer to us. At that point I was scared to death. But what do you say to a ten year old kid? I tried to calm him down by telling him, “Don’t worry. We’ll get this out of here.”
The interview was conducted by NDR 1 Welle Nord morning moderators Horst Hoof and Mandy Schmidt.
Further information
5 Min
The holiday began last Tuesday in Kiotari in the southeast. The family had to leave their hotel on Saturday. 5 mins
It would be important to change the landscape in such a way that fires like those in Greece could not spread so devastatingly in the first place. more
4 Min
Only package holidaymakers are entitled to an earlier return flight. Individual travelers are at a disadvantage. 4 mins
This topic in the program:
NDR 1 Wave North | Hello Schleswig-Holstein – with Mandy Schmidt and Horst Hoof | 07/25/2023 | 6:40 a.m