After the storms in southeastern Europe, European politicians called for quick help. In addition, more must be invested in climate adaptation, said EPP boss Weber. In Greece, some places are currently cut off from the outside world.
In view of the violent storms in southeastern Europe, several EU politicians have called for faster aid for the affected countries and better preparation. “As in previous natural disasters in other EU member states, the EU Solidarity Fund should be used for reconstruction,” said the Vice President of the European Parliament, Katarina Barley, to the editorial network Germany.
It would be a mistake to believe that these are just normal weather phenomena, emphasized the SPD politician. Europe must move forward more decisively, said Barley.
Weber: We have to invest more in climate adaptation
The chairman of the EPP group, Manfred Weber (CSU), called for more money for European civil protection. “Changing weather patterns challenge all of our countries to invest more in climate adaptation and our emergency services,” he said.
It is clear that Greece and Bulgaria must receive emergency aid and reconstruction funds. “Just as the EU supported Germany with more than 600 million euros after the floods in 2021, it will support any country that is a victim of extreme weather conditions,” Weber said.
Greens are demanding more money and better equipment
Rasmus Andresen, spokesman for the German Greens in the European Parliament, also said that civil protection and humanitarian aid needed to be better funded. “The 2.15 billion euros that the EU Commission proposed is far from enough,” said Andresen.
Green MP Erik Marquardt said the EU should centrally purchase more equipment such as fire-fighting aircraft, transport helicopters or pumps so that they can be deployed quickly in the disaster area.
At least 14 people died in the storms
The rains of the past few days have led to severe flooding in Greece, Bulgaria – both of which are members of the EU – and Turkey. At least 14 people died in the three countries: the authorities reported four deaths in Bulgaria and three in Greece. According to authorities, seven people died in Turkey. Several people are still missing.
The flood situation continued to worsen in central Greece. It was still raining in the Thessaly region – the water had divided the country in two, Greek media reported. The most important highway between Athens and Thessaloniki has been closed over a stretch of 200 kilometers since Tuesday evening.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ordered the deployment of the military. The units will also include a brigade of marines stationed near the completely muddy port city of Volos. As government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis announced, Mitsotakis will visit the disaster region of Thessaly at the weekend to get an idea of the situation.
Volos is almost completely cut off from the environment. Access roads are destroyed or flooded. The drinking water in supermarkets was also running low – electricity and therefore water supply have not been available for days. In many places the water is higher than two meters. Around 700,000 people live in the entire Thessaly region – almost all of them were affected by the flood. “We had a good 5,000 emergency calls within 36 hours, something like this has never happened before,” said fire department spokesman Giannis Artopoios to the broadcaster ERTnews.
In the city and municipality of Karditsa, the water reached up to the roofs of the houses, so that residents had to escape to the roofs. “The water is up to four meters high in some places,” a resident told broadcaster Mega. The residents of Karditsa reported in the Greek media that their village was inaccessible, the entire plain was flooded, and rescue workers could not come.
Türkiye, Greece and Bulgaria affected
The effects of storms in southeastern Europe
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Thousands of people affected in Bulgaria and Turkey
Similar scenes took place in Bulgaria and Turkey: In the Bulgarian seaside resort of Zarevo, television images showed cars and mobile homes being washed into the sea. The authorities there declared a state of emergency. Tourism Minister Zaritsa Dinkova said about 4,000 people were affected by the storm’s impact across the southern Black Sea coast.
The situation there has now relaxed, said Prime Minister Nikolaj Denkow after a conversation with the crisis team. According to the Ministry of the Interior this morning, there is no evidence of people in distress or of new fatalities. It has not rained in the affected region since Wednesday.
In Istanbul, the streets turned into raging rivers. The heavy rain flooded more than 1,750 homes and workplaces, the governor’s office said. The weather is only expected to ease on Friday.
Source : Tages Schau