Storms in Crete: Heavy rains and floods
Severe storms have caused flooding on the Greek island of Crete. People were stuck in cars and tourists were evacuated.
Quick Look
- Heavy rain and thunderstorms have caused severe flooding on the Greek island of Crete.
- Cars were washed into the sea and people had to be brought to safety.
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Why It Matters
Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit the Greek island of Crete, causing severe damage and flooding.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms have caused flooding and damage on the Greek island of Crete, which is popular with holidaymakers. People were stuck in their cars and some tourists had to be evacuated, the authorities announced on Saturday. “A woman had to be taken to hospital for safety reasons,” the mayor of the port city of Ierapetra, Manolis Frangoulis, told AFP.
There was heavy rain in the city on the southeast coast of Crete on Friday and Saturday. The floods washed some cars and trees into the sea. Elsewhere, roads were impassable due to washed-up debris.
On the road between Ierapetra and Sitia, 23 people were stuck in their cars due to flooding, the ERT television station reported. Three tourists and their taxi driver were swept away in the car by a torrent. They were able to get out and get to safety when the taxi got stuck on an embankment. In the port of Canea, popular with tourists, huge waves damaged restaurants and other tourist meeting places on the seafront promenade.
The civil defense authority called on residents of several towns to seek higher ground. The deputy governor of the Heraklion region, Nikos Syrigonakis, said relief services were clearing small landslides and clearing roads of debris. They remain on alert and are keeping an eye on the levels of streams and rivers, he told the Greek news agency ANA.
In the Samaria Gorge, a popular excursion destination for Crete vacationers, eight national park employees were stuck due to heavy rain, as ANA also reported. However, according to authorities, they were in a safe place. "The situation is fully under control. They have food and medicine and are in a warm place, but the river level does not allow them to leave the place," the region's deputy governor in charge of civil defense, Giorgos Tsapakos, told the ANA news agency.
From Friday to Saturday afternoon, 420 millimeters of rain fell in the Canea area, according to the website of the National Observatory in Athens. In addition, there were wind forces of eight to nine on the Beaufort scale.
Open Questions
- How much is the exact amount of damage?
- Are there other missing people?
