Central Greece was hit by another severe storm, the second in less than a month, causing widespread damage on Thursday.
Named Elias, the storm led to extensive flooding in Volos, damaging roads and bridges, and inundating numerous homes.
With many stranded in adjacent mountain villages, the fire service executed several rescues and evacuations.
Additionally, a private helicopter went missing in the stormy weather, prompting a search for two individuals.
Volos Mayor Achilleas Beos described the situation as dire, with significant parts of the city submerged and a vast majority without electricity.
This storm follows another recent weather calamity in the area that resulted in 16 deaths and inflicted damages exceeding 2 billion euros. Local residents, like 83-year-old Apostolis Dafereras, were seen trying to mitigate the damage, stating the severity was unparalleled in his experience.
The hardest-hit regions were around Volos and the northern parts of Evia island, an area previously devastated by significant wildfires. In response to the wildfires and ongoing floods, the European Union (EU) has pledged over 2 billion euros to aid Greece.
Meanwhile, Athens is revisiting existing aid agreements to allocate funds towards climate change mitigation efforts.
“Volos has been hit a second time with a storm of lasting duration. … The state is with those who are struggling,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in Parliament.
“The positive course of the country has been overshadowed by natural disasters that are attacks caused by climate change.”
