Failures identified in Paphos shelter system, authorities pledge improvements

A district meeting on shelters and civil protection was held on Friday in Paphos, where authorities identified gaps in preparedness that they pledged to address immediately.

President of the Paphos district self-government organisation (EOA) Charalambos Pittokopitis chaired a meeting with representatives from the police, fire brigade, civil defence, water development department, electricity authority, Cyta, district mayors and the Union of Communities.

Pittokopitis said the discussions highlighted certain weaknesses in the district’s shelter and civil protection arrangements.

“Valid and holistic information was provided on responsibilities and instructions for service personnel and residents, to avoid confusion and panic,” he said.

He added that the Republic of Cyprus is not part of the current crisis but that readiness remains essential.

Civil Defence confirmed there are 210 shelters in the Paphos district, including 81 public shelters accessible to all residents, with the remainder being private or common shelters.

Assistant civil protection officer Costas Constantinou said that in a real emergency, all citizens will seek protection wherever possible, regardless of the shelter’s classification.

Paphos mayor Angelos Onisiforou pledged the municipality’s active support, noting that cooperation with other services was key to ensuring proper evacuation and the protection of the people.

Polis Chrysochous mayor Yiotis Papachristofi called for planning at the highest level, including measures to protect educational institutions and study public behaviour during crises.

Paphos EOA representative Christiana Christodoulou proposed creating a comprehensive list of all shelters by street and parish, to be made publicly available online and through other information channels.