Greek celebration cities devastated by flash floods as Storm Bora destroys roads and bridges after claiming the lives of three folks
A Greek party town has been left devastated by flash floods as Storm Bora – which has claimed the lives of three people – wipes out roads and bridges.
Rhodes has been left covered in mud and debris after the deadly storm battered Greece over the weekend, and over 30cm of rain fell over the popular tourist island.
In the resort of Faliraki, the flash flooding caused by torrential downpours destroyed a bridge, caused chasms to open up in the ground, and damaged homes and shops on the coast, horror footage has shown.
In the village of Tsairi, another bridge was left wrecked, cutting of residents and tourists from the main roads.
‘The bridge is broken in two, and there is no other road that is easily accessible, either by car or on foot, to reach the main road and go anywhere,’ local resident Flora Drapanou, 31, said.
Two men were killed in a flooded village on Lemnos, while scores of people were evacuated and taken to hotels in the island’s main port.
A third death, which was announced on state broadcaster ERT Monday, was that of a male driver who was killed by hypothermia after falling into a ditch while trying to avoid debris in the northern region of Halkidiki.
Following the devastation that unraveled across the weekend, a state of emergency was declared on the islands of Rhodes and Lemnos.
A drone view shows a man standing near a damaged hotel, following floods caused by Storm Bora, in Faliraki, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, December 2
A bridge on the party island was left severely damaged following the arrival of the deadly storm over the weekend
Cars are piled up following storm Bora in the area of Lalysos, on the island of Rhodes, on December 1
The island of Rhodes has been in a state of emergency as Storm Bora continues to batter Greece
Pictured: The resort of Faliraki before it was battered by the storm
It is has been reported in Greece, that on Saturday Rhodes experienced the biggest flood phenomenon in its history, as per Protothema.
Halkidiki was hit with significant damage, Greek news outlet Ekathimerini reported, particularly in Sithonia, the second leg of the peninsula.
The outlet reported that homes, basements, and shops were left flooded, roads were turned into rivers, and mudslides with debris made streets impossible to drive through.
Rescue teams, assisted by the military and local authorities, rescued many older residents in flood-hit areas, after strong winds and torrential rain over the weekend flipped cars, caused power outages and damaged roads.
The fire brigade has deployed aerial units, sending 35 firefighters from Athens with pumping equipment and two rescue boats.
In addition, 40 firefighters with ten vehicles have arrived by sea from Piraeus to support the relief efforts.
On Saturday, a 57-year-old man on the island of Lemnos, in the northern Aegean, was swept away by strong currents while trying to free his car, the fire brigade said.
The mayor of Lemnos, Eleonora Georgios, said that ‘severe damage was observed in the road network, in the agricultural network, in the water supply network, in infrastructures such as municipal walls, road surfaces, bridges.
‘The damage to houses, businesses, crops, greenhouses is enormous, while the waters have not yet receded and we do not have a complete picture of the damage.’
Excavators move piled-up cars on a road following the passage of storm bora in Ialyssos, Rhodes, on December 1
Two residents embraced while standing in thick mud after torrential rains flooded their home and destroyed their cars in the popular Greek tourist resort
Locals scrambled to save their belongings as Storm Bora pounded the country for a third day
Homes, basements, and shops were left flooded, roads were turned into rivers, and mudslides with debris made streets impossible to drive through
People gather in a mud-covered street with a damaged car following floods caused by storm Bora
Cars were left stuck in mud and debris after the storm swept through the
Echelon of the fire department and the army is operating following the passage of Storm Bora
Vassilis Kikilias, the minister for climate crisis and civil protection, urged residents in storm-hit areas to comply with evacuation orders that are announced using mobile phone push alerts.
‘It is a thousand times better to comply with potentially excessive warnings than to face tragedy,’ the minister told private Skai television.
Mr Kikilias has pointed to climate change as the cause of worsening weather conditions in Greece in recent years, including an unprecedented series of heatwaves that intensify wildfires, a severe drought this year and massive floods in central Greece in 2023.
Rail travel on the Greek mainland was disrupted throughout Monday.
Weather warnings remain in effect for islands of the eastern Aegean islands, as well as parts of central and southern mainland Greece.
The UK’s Met Office said northeast Greece would see significant flooding as around double its monthly rainfall was expected to fall by Monday.
The Mediterranean country has been ravaged by floods and wildfires in recent years, with scientists saying that Greece has become a ‘hot spot’ for climate change.
In 2023, more than 20,000 tourist and locals were forced to flee homes and seaside hotels as wildfires burned for days.
Thunderstorms and heavy rain also interrupted train services in mainland Greece, especially in the centre and north of the country.
