Severe storms brought fresh flooding and damage to Greece’s largest island of Crete on Saturday, October 3, prompting an emergency alert urging people in Mylopotamos, in the Rethymno region, to limit travel and move to higher ground.
The warning came as emergency crews responded to flooded properties and stranded motorists across the island. The 112 emergency alert was issued around noon local time. A separate message shortly before 3 p.m. urged people in the municipality of Amari to restrict their movements and follow instructions from the authorities.
The renewed downpours followed several days of destructive weather. An 80-year-old livestock farmer had been found dead in the Karines area of Rethymno on Thursday.
Floodwater forces emergency work in Zoniana
Mountain communities in Mylopotamos remained among the hardest-hit areas. In Zoniana, municipal authorities opened a section of the village’s central road to allow accumulated floodwater to escape, according to local reporting.
Creta24 reported that a makeshift embankment built by residents and emergency personnel had broken overnight, temporarily flooding the village again, before crews rebuilt it. Firefighters were pumping water from homes near the stream and the village’s sports ground on Saturday morning.
Nearby Livadia also suffered extensive damage to roads and agricultural access routes, with the road toward the village reported closed again. In Chania, Newsit reported broken paving in several places along the waterfront in front of the old harbor.
Homes, businesses and basements were flooded, while mud and debris obstructed roads. Newsit reported more than 31 calls to the fire service for pumping operations or assistance to trapped people by Saturday morning.
Firefighters rescue motorists near Ierapetra
In Ferma, near Ierapetra in eastern Crete, four German nationals were brought to safety after becoming trapped in a car surrounded by rising water, according to local media. A call to 112 enabled emergency services to locate the vehicle. Five firefighters with two vehicles then reached the occupants and moved them to a safe location.
Ierapetra’s deputy mayor responsible for civil protection, Giorgos Kougioumtzakis, described unusually large volumes of water in comments carried by Newsit. He said an elderly woman had also been rescued and taken first to Koutsouras and then to a hospital as a precaution. Assistance was also provided to a Swiss couple.
Problems extended along the area between Achlia and Koutsouras. The deputy mayor reported subsidence near Agia Fotia and urged residents and visitors to avoid travel until the severe weather had passed.
Road closures are reported on the Ierapetra–Sitia road at Agia Fotia and Koutsouras, as well as the Petra Seli–Sempronas road in Chania and the Vistagi–Platania road in Amari.
Weather warnings extend into Sunday
In its October 3 weather notice, the Region of Crete said civil protection services remained mobilized under Red Code. It cited a red weather warning through Saturday afternoon, followed by an orange warning for intermittent heavy rain and thunderstorms into Sunday morning.
The notice also warned of northerly to northeasterly winds reaching force 8 to 9 on the Beaufort scale in the Aegean through Saturday afternoon. Access to high-risk gorges, nature trails and hiking routes across Crete remained prohibited through Sunday.
Greece’s Civil Protection service advises people to avoid crossing torrents on foot or by car, leave basement spaces for safe higher ground and follow local authorities’ instructions.
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