The recent bout of adverse weather conditions has caused significant damage to areas in the north of Greece, with a state of emergency being declared in Epirus and Evrytania.
Due to the heavy rainfall many rivers have overflowed, such as in the case of the Arachthos, which caused the collapse of the Bridge of Plaka near Tzoumerka. There are also fears that the River Evros may also overflow, after Bulgarian authorities opened the dam, resulting a huge surge of water flowing into the river. As a precaution, Greek authorities have evacuated many villages near Arta, specifically Neochori, Akropotamia and Anthotopos.
Many farmland crops have suffered major damages from the overflowing rives, particularly near Ioannina, where landslides and fallen rocks have also caused damaged to local roads and highways. The District of Western Greece has applied for a declaration of a state of emergency, as the adverse weather continues to plague the municipality of Kalavryta.
The Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras headed to the Fire Brigade’s Center of Operations in Halandri and commented that “our first duty today is to protect the people and tomorrow our duty is to restore the damages”. Teams of technical experts from the Ministries of Infrastructure and Culture have been dispatched to Epirus to survey and document the extent of the catastrophe.
