In the flood areas in Greece, the fire brigade rescued hundreds of people from the floodwaters. But many villages are still cut off from the outside world after the severe storms. Now the military is also deployed.
Floods, landslides and broken dams: In central Greece, emergency services are struggling with the consequences of a storm. “The plain of Thessaly has turned into a huge lake,” a fire department spokesman told broadcaster ERT. The operations to bring the residents to safety were difficult.
Dozens of people were rescued from the roofs of their homes by helicopter. At least three villages could no longer be reached and residents called radio stations urgently asking for help. According to the fire department, around 60 people were brought to safety by helicopter.
Some told media they spent the night and most of the day on rooftops without food or water. According to the authorities, the helicopters that continued the rescue work in the area around the city of Karditsa could not initially be used due to frequent lightning strikes.
Hundreds of people were rescued
In other parts of the country in the Thessaly region, the fire brigade is also trying to reach remote areas despite the roads being washed away. Specialists in water rescue and divers from the disaster protection units as well as soldiers are also involved in the operations.
The body of a man who was reported missing on Wednesday has been recovered from a river. Hours later, the fire department discovered the bodies of two women in the Karditsa area. This brought the death toll from the flood to six. Another six people were missing. Greek Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said more than 885 people had been rescued so far. Rain was forecast for the rest of the day.
Around 700,000 residents affected
Greece had been hit by storm “Daniel” since Monday evening. Heavy rain fell particularly in the Thessaly region. Around 700,000 people live there – almost all of them were affected by the flood, the authorities said.
The water has now divided the country in two: the most important highway between Athens and Thessaloniki has been closed for 200 kilometers since Tuesday evening. Thessaly is considered the granary of Greece. What the extreme weather means for the harvest is far from clear. Most of the fields are probably destroyed.
Mitsotakis sends soldiers
In view of the dramatic situation, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis postponed his planned speech on the state of the economy. Instead, he wants to visit the flood areas at the weekend to get an idea of the situation. He ordered the deployment of the military in the affected regions.
The units will also include a brigade of marines stationed near the completely muddy port city of Volos. According to government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, the military will help with heavy equipment such as armored vehicles that can reach isolated villages. In addition, military engineers are supposed to install temporary bridges where bridges have collapsed.
Residents should be compensated
A crisis team has been set up in Larisa, the capital of the Thessaly region. According to the government spokesman, the priority is to rescue people in the almost completely flooded region.
According to the government, repair work on the infrastructure in Thessaly will begin as soon as the rains ease. Interior Minister Niki Kerameus told the Skai television channel that the authorities had begun taking stock of the damage. The affected residents “will be paid compensation,” she assured.
Türkiye, Greece and Bulgaria affected
The effects of storms in southeastern Europe
Government: This phenomenon has not yet been experienced
The government and experts classify the amount of rain that fell in the disaster area as an extreme weather phenomenon. In Magnisia Prefecture, 600 to 800 liters of rain fell within 24 hours, state meteorologist Dimitris Ziakopoulos announced. This much rain in one day has never been measured in Greece since weather records began in 1955.
“Our country has now been confronted with a phenomenon for the third day that we have never experienced in the past,” said government spokesman Marinakis. He pointed out that more than double Athens’ average annual rainfall fell in some areas in 12 hours.
EU politicians are calling for quick help
There have also been heavy rains in Greece’s neighboring countries Turkey and Bulgaria in the past few days. A total of at least 18 people died in the three countries. In view of the violent storms in southeastern Europe, EU politicians 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.
Source : Tages Schau