‘We could see the fires from the plane. People were clearly in shock...our job was to help them’
Scots tell of aid mission to help Britons fleeing Greek wildfires
Scottish volunteers who were among those first on the scene when wildfires ripped through Rhodes have spoken of the terror and panic they witnessed as British tourists fled.
Liz Tait from Lossiemouth, Moray, and Becky Chapple from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, were part of a four-strong team from the British Red Cross Psychosocial Support section that flew to the Greek island to aid stricken holidaymakers.
As panic gripped residents and tourists alike, the pair assisted Britons – including one young couple whose dream of getting married on the sunshine isle had been shattered by the wildfires.
And, as flames continued to ravage the island, the two volunteers even helped one family to celebrate a scared child’s fourth birthday.
Both Tait and Chapple had quickly offered to help the hundreds of people displaced due to the wildfires that began on the island on July 18. Within hours they found themselves flying into the furnace.
The blazes were sparked by extreme heatwaves, with temperatures in many European countries hitting highs of 45˚C.
Some 2,000 people, including many British tourists, were evacuated.
Tait, 65, who led the delegation of volunteers, said: “We met some very distressed people when we arrived in Rhodes. We had to help them function in a new environment while the wildfires were ongoing, and all the uncertainty that comes with that.
“You’re helping and supporting people who didn’t have access to any clean clothes or toiletries, and you’re supporting families.
“You’re trying to be able to help as much as you can and do as much as you can.
“I think the thing with this delegation was that this could happen to anyone really,” Tait continued.
“All these people were just on holiday when this happened and that could have been any of us. So this deployment was a bit different in that sense, compared to some of my others.”
Tait has worked with the British Red Cross for decades.
Her first deployment was to support people fleeing Beirut in 2006 and she was also on hand to help in the aftermath of the 2008 Chinese earthquake.
Other notable missions have included a trip to Tunisia after the 2015 terror attack and she has also witnessed first hand evacuations in Afghanistan and Sudan.
She was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the King’s Birthday Honours’ List in June.
Meanwhile, Chapple told The Sunday Post that, having received a call at 11.30pm on a Sunday night, she booked herself on the next available flight at 6am the following morning. The 37-year-old said: “We could see the fires from the plane when we were coming into Rhodes.
“We arrived and went straight to one of the hotels and there were people sleeping on the floor in the lobby. I remember trying to be quiet when we first came in so we didn’t wake anyone up.
“There were people with ash on their clothes who were
still clearly in shock after what had taken place. Our job was to support and help people.
“There were many families and the parents were supporting the children while we were reassuring and supporting the parents. We even helped plan a fourth birthday party for one of the children.”
Chapple described chaotic scenes, as locals rallied to help in the wake of the devastation.
“Some hotels who had capacities of around 2,300 would have an extra 2,000 on top of that,” she explained. “They were all just trying to help as many people as they could.
“Staff and the local population, including trained volunteers, were amazing, providing food and water to everyone as well as opening conference and meeting spaces to house as many as possible.
“The Greek locals were absolutely amazing. They were always helping.”
Chapple has been a volunteer with the charity for more than 15 years, with a variety of different roles, and is currently a volunteering transformation manager in the Crisis and Emergency Response team.
The British Red Cross paid tribute to the dedicated Scots’ workers, saying they had made a vital difference after disaster struck.
“When British nationals are caught up in a crisis overseas, volunteers like Becky and Liz are specially trained to provide emotional and practical support, known as psychosocial support, which considers the holistic needs of individuals, couples, families and groups,” a spokesman explained.
“Alongside fellow volunteers, Becky and Liz were able to talk to people about what they needed and provide emotional support.
“We are extremely proud of the work done by our psychosocial support team volunteers in Rhodes.”