Central Greece Flooded Again Following Storm Elias

Parts of Central Greece have been flooded for a second time in less than a month as Storm Elias batters the country with torrential rain and thunderstorms.

The worst affected areas are the city of Volos in Thessaly and Northern Evia.

Residents of Volos were forbidden from traveling as the storm flooded roads, basements, homes, and businesses. The downpour is also threatening to flood the Krafsidonas River as it did during recent Storm Daniel.

Dozens of people are reportedly trapped in either flooded homes or vehicles, but rescuers find it hard to approach them. So far, fifteen motorists and pedestrians have been evacuated from precarious situations.

At the Mt. Pilio suburbs of Volos, where the previous storm claimed lives and infrastructure was extensively damaged, the thunderstorm has brought heavy rain, and water is running down in torrents.

#Βολος #Μαγνησια #πλημμύρες #Elias pic.twitter.com/IsfLKpuqbe

— slow runner (@antoniouin) September 27, 2023

A statement by the Volos municipality called on residents to observe the police curfew and follow police orders, allowing crews to work without obstruction.

Evia in Central Greece is also flooded

The island of Evia was also severely affected on Wednesday. The island’s main road axis, which connects the island’s south and north, has been blocked by a landslide at Derveni in the north, while trees that fell on power lines caused power cuts and water supply problems in several areas.

Πευκί #Ευβοια. #πλημμύρες pic.twitter.com/8puc3LQtpm

— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma) September 27, 2023

Fifty firefighters with twenty-eight fire engines alongside personnel from two forest operation units (EMODE) and an emergency rescue team (EMAK) unit have been facilitating the rescuing of people who were trapped. They have also been helping with the pumping of flood waters.

More landslides were also reported in the villages of Istiea and Pefki in north Evia, where people were trapped by torrential rainwaters.

A meteorological station in Istiea registered more than 230,000 cubic meters of water per 0.1 hectare (one stremma) since Wednesday morning.

Eύβοια, το χωριό Καμάρια κοντά στην Ιστιαία…. pic.twitter.com/mDscGe2PXF

— Miyagii (@Miyagii2574471) September 27, 2023

In the village of Mantoudi, water in the streets is over a meter deep, while dangerous debris was carried down into the area from the mountains. At Psachna village, torrents also endangered residents.

The Elias weather front is intense throughout the entirety of Central Greece with phenomena in Evia being relentlessly intense, Regional Governor Fanis Spanos told Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).

The storm hit Athens with hundreds of lightning strikes in the early hours of Wednesday.

The new weather front comes after the deadly floods that followed Storm Daniel which hit Thessaly earlier in September. At least 17 people are known to have died from the floods while the agricultural production of the region was severely damaged.