Five consecutive days of heavy rain and thunderstorms have led to flooding, road destruction and significant damage in rural areas across much of Crete, Euronews reports.
Greece’s largest island is one of the Mediterranean’s most important tourist destinations. The heaviest rainfall has been recorded mainly in Crete’s mountains.
Data from the National Observatory of Athens show that around 440 millimetres of rain fell on the Lasithi Plateau in just two days.
Over four days of severe weather, rainfall in the area reached about 470 millimetres, while the total annual rainfall here is usually between 700 and 900 millimetres.
Damage was reported in all four Regions of the island. Flooding and landslides hit mountain villages, agricultural and livestock land, as well as stretches of coastline where tourism is highly developed.
Large areas of land were left under water and a layer of silt, rural roads were damaged, and potato and vegetable crops were flooded.
On the south coast, the town of Ierapetra and resorts to its east — including Ferma, Koutsounari, Agia Fotia and Makry Gialos — were affected by raging torrents and landslides. Roads were blocked or badly damaged, vehicles were swept away, and dozens of people had to be evacuated from hotels and other accommodation to safe locations.
