Italy and Greece – 4 Dead as Storms and Flooding Hit

by in Europe, News

Severe weather since 24 November has caused at least 3 deaths and widespread damage in Greece. Meanwhile in Italy heavy rain and flooding has washed away part of a viaduct Liguria Region. One person has died in floods in Piedmont Region. At least 4 people have died in flooding in neighbouring France over the last few days.

Greece

Parts of Greece have seen torrential rain, strong winds and stormy seas since 24 November, 2019. Two people died after strong winds and stormy seas capsized a moored boat in Antirio.

Heavy rain caused flash flooding and landslides in Kineta, west of the capital Athens. The Fire Department say they received 47 calls for the Kineta area including 27 rescues. Parts of the surrounding road network were blocked.

Further north, around 6 buildings were damaged after flooding in Katerini in Pieria. The Fire Department also attended flood incidents in areas around ​​Ierissos, Halkidiki and Thassos.

Flooding was also reported on some of the country’s islands, in particular Rhodes on 25 November. One person was found dead in a flooded building, 6 people were rescued and 7 others evacuated. The Fire Department received 190 calls for assistance, mainly for the areas in the north of the island including  Ialyssos, Kremasti and the city of Rhodes. Greek Civil Protection have since declared a state of emergency for the island.

Italy

In Italy, part of a motorway viaduct near Savona in Liguria Region was washed away by a landslide and flood waters. The rain has caused numerous other landslides across the region, prompting around 100 evacuations.

In Piedmont Region, one person died after a vehicle was swept away by flood waters from the overflowing Bormida River in Sezzadio Municipality, Alessandria Province. Two others survived. Around 200 people were evacuated after flooding in the province, with around 160 others were left isolated.

In the Lombardy Region, the River Ticino burst its banks causing flooding in the of Pavia, prompting flood rescues.

Heavy snowfall and avalanches have also caused major problems in the north of the country. Around 500 people were evacuated in the Aosta Valley Region.

Meanwhile Venice has suffered yet further flooding from high tides, known as acqua alta. Peak tide level reached 1.3 metres on 24 November, prompting authorities to close some buildings. The city has been regularly flooded by high tides since mid-November.

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