Residents of the capital found themselves facing unprecedented severe weather. Alpha’s reporting team is capturing shocking images and testimonies.
August 29, and the weather scene is otherworldly. Even power poles ended up in the rivers.
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The road was blocked off with a few traffic cones, in the hope that passersby would not approach the area, as the risk of electrocution was high. A young resident told Alpha that as the situation escalated, the road became one with the river.
“I panicked and ran down to the floodwaters. No one from the power company came; we tried calling them. My mom told me to call, but no one answered. People from the municipality came, and a tractor arrived too, but they couldn’t get through because of the cars. You couldn’t even see the sidewalk—it was all just one big mess.”
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According to residents, 20 minutes later, they also received a flood warning from CY-Alert. Across from the fallen pole, the flood barrier broke in half and shifted.
On Kennedy Street, a tree that fell into the street is blocking traffic. Cars are unable to pass; they can only squeeze through a narrow gap, while others coming from the opposite direction are turning around to take a different route.
After quite some time, a crew from the Lakatamia Municipality arrived at the scene, and as the workers told us, they’re working as fast as they can but can’t keep up.
The Alpha news crew filmed a woman’s efforts to remove water that had entered her home.
“These are the clothes we put inside the house to soak up the water. The water is still flowing. I went downstairs and mopped it up. The drain is clogged, and water is coming in from outside. The drain is overflowing and filling up the place. It’s been over half an hour—I’ve been struggling for an hour, no, more than an hour. I’m desperate.”
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The August storm once again laid bare the inability to take preventive measures, despite the fact that the warning had specifically mentioned extreme weather conditions.
Branches blocked all the storm drains, and stormwater turned the streets into muddy rivers. Residents report that the trash thoughtlessly dumped into the rivers by inconsiderate people is so abundant that it clogs the riverbeds.
“They throw things down from above. The other day they threw in beds and oil drums. All sorts of things. Now the kids even saw a snake swimming in the water. The situation is tragic; this can’t go on—something has to be done.”
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On the road behind the Lakatamia Industrial Area, although the necessary work has been completed and the riverbed has been cleared to allow water to flow, no provision has been made for where the water will flow. The route the vehicle is taking is the road that was originally designed for vehicle traffic, except that the road has now become one with the river.
Watch the report by Kleio Vourkou:
