Flooding in Greece by Tori Lacey
Many villages in northern Greece have been severely affected by flooding. Torrential rain over the weekend have left a trail of devastation as floods swept through Athens, Thessaloniki, Olympiada and surrounding areas.
Emergency services have declared the area a disaster zone, as rescue workers spent Sunday searching for inhabitants feared to have been swept away.
In Olympiada alone, more than 200 homes have been flooded and families have been evacuated, some by helicopter. 200 fireman and 20 soldiers have also been drafted in to assist with the rescue mission.
Roads have understandably been closed, not just due to the sheer volume of water funnelling through some of the streets, but also due to dangerous mudslides – a bridge has also collapsed between Salonika and Kavala.
A further 80 homes were flooded in Thessaloniki and 15 people here had to be evacuated by boat, such was the extent of the flooding. Water levels in Melisourgo, 56 miles east of Thessaloniki, have risen to as high as 2000mm (2 metres) in places, and more rain is forecast.
In fact, across northern Greece, rain looks set to fall until Wednesday, so this situation could well worsen before it improves – rescue searches stopped over night on Sunday, but commenced again first thing on Monday morning, and could well continue for a few more days yet.
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