The safety of the inhabitants of Cyprus has returned to the public sphere of discussion after the war in the Middle East and the drone attack on the Akrotiri Base.

Shelters are a place of protection for citizens in the event of a generalized crisis, however, the question arises whether they are sufficient in terms of infrastructure, capacity and stability.

Filenews, through the "SafeCY" application, visited shelters in various areas of Nicosia in order to verify whether they have the necessary facilities to accommodate the civilian population of the island.

As can be seen from the photos, most of the shelters are underground parking lots, where vehicles of apartment tenants or business employees in the area are parked.

It is worth noting that, although the map of the application listed specific shelters in the area where we were, however, they were not located, either because they do not exist, or because there is no relevant sign that recognizes the specific building as a shelter.

At the same time, some shelters, as shown in the images of Filenews, are used as warehouses for shops, while in some cases the areas of the shelter are filled with dirt and garbage.

To the question, which all citizens reasonably have, regarding the situation that prevails in the shelters, as we have seen with our own eyes, in some cases basic conditions are met to accommodate people, but in others the situation is tragic.

2500 shelters cover 45% of the population

In her statements in Nicosia, together with the Minister of Interior Constantinos Ioannou, the Commander of Civil Defence, Maria Papa, stated that there are about 2,500 shelters at the disposal of citizens, nationwide, a number which corresponds to coverage of about 40% - 45% of the population.

Regarding how to locate the nearest shelter for each citizen, Ms. Papa explained that the information can be done either through the "SafeCY" application, which enables citizens wherever they are at the moment, to locate the shelter that is closest to them, or by contacting the Civil Defense Crisis Center at 22 403 451 or 22 403 452.

It is worth noting that the "SafeCY" application gives you the address of the shelter closest to you, however, to get there, you have to use a different application, such as google map.

The Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, pointed out that in consultation with the Department of Urban Planning and Housing and after consultation, with the provision of incentives for an additional building coefficient, additional underground spaces for shelters by private individuals will be able to be made available.

It should be noted that the suitability of the shelters is judged after surveillance by the Civil Defense, so that there is confirmation that the premises are in an operational condition.

However, it is the responsibility of the owner of each property that has a shelter to keep the premises clean and in proper condition.

The history of the shelters

On its website, the Civil Defense states that the creation of shelters/protection areas is a basic measure to protect civilians for a short period of time in the event of hostilities.

According to the Civil Defense, the program for the creation of shelters began in 1999, while before the state there were then two main options:

  • The first concerned the creation of underground shelters in large open spaces, which would be expropriated for this purpose.
  • The second concerned the creation of shelters in existing underground spaces.

After studying the two options, the first was ruled out, due to the huge financial cost, reports the Civil Defense.

Therefore, the Republic of Cyprus came up with the second option, i.e. the creation of shelters in existing underground spaces, in a massive way.

Photos from the Civil Defense on what a suitable shelter that meets the necessary specifications should look like