The bad weather, which hit a large part of the country, but especially western Greece, has caused major destruction with impassable roads, continuous landslides, and blocked villages.
Anxiety prevails for the residents of Mazaraki, Ilia, after the new major landslide that occurred due to bad weather and continued rainfall, which resulted in the village being blocked.
The intensity of the landslide was such that, according to local media, masses of soil occupied the entrance to the village, while even electricity poles were moved. The images are tragic, with residents carrying their children to school on their backs through fields on Tuesday morning (17/2) and then back to their homes in the same way at noon, while severe bad weather prevails in the area.
A team from the municipality of Ilida is at the scene to assess the situation, remove the materials and restore the road connection.
Local authorities are calling on drivers and residents to avoid the specific area until complete safety of the crossing is ensured.
However, there are many who are worried about what is to come, as the rainfall continues and the possibility of new landslides is not small.
Two settlements in the Taygetos area in Messinia evacuated
At the same time, the Peloponnese Region is on “red alert” for bad weather. As a precaution, two settlements in the Taygetos area, Ano Mera and Mahalas, were evacuated.
Due to the widespread phenomena that occurred throughout Messinia (central photo: tharrosnews), the Region requests that a state of emergency be declared.
History is repeating itself for the residents of Mahala Taygetos, as they are being asked to leave their homes for the second time, the first time coming in January 2021, when the area also faced huge problems and they were forced to evacuate their homes.
Problems also in the municipality of Kalamata
Problems have been recorded in almost the entire municipality of Kalamata, while all the competent services are on the move, under the coordination of the Civil Protection Office, in collaboration with the Technical Services Directorate.
According to Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection Pantelis Drougas, interventions were carried out in the Kordia Settlement and the West Beach, in Filothei and Kallithea, in the Perivolakia settlement and in the old garbage dump of the Elaiochori Community, in the Belines location in Giannitsanika, in Laika, in Antikalamos, in Amfeia, in Sperchogia, etc.
There were also problems with falling retaining walls in various parts of the Municipality, such as in Platy, Aipeia, etc. Damage from the rainfall was also recorded in Aithea, Anemomylos, Ariochori, M. Mantineia, and other areas.
Landslides, subsidence and problems in the road network were recorded in several parts of the municipality, with the road connecting Nedoussa with Mardaki and Alagonia remaining closed.
Problems with subsidence have also been recorded on the Agrokipi road to Alagonia, which also remains closed, as well as on the Karveli – Lada – Sparti National Road at the “Dasaki” location.
Yesterday afternoon, the competent authorities proceeded with an organized and preventive evacuation of the residents of the two settlements of Alagonia, due to the increased risk of landslides.
Suspension of Rio – Antirrio routes
The suspension of services on the Rio – Antirrio ferry line was decided as of Tuesday morning (17/02), due to the strong winds blowing in the area.
The bad weather has been showing its “teeth” since the evening hours in Achaia and the regions of Western Greece. Moreover, the Region of Western Greece has been placed on a “red” alert by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, to address the risks of flooding phenomena, as well as coastal flooding due to the stormy winds.
Many problems in other areas too
After the Municipality of Erymanthos, the Municipality of Kalavryta was also declared in a state of emergency.
The Old National Road near Platanos, Aigialeia, remains closed due to a landslide in the area. The closure has resulted in serious traffic problems.
The Emergency Weather Deterioration Bulletin is being updated according to the latest forecast data, reports the National Meteorological Service, which issued an orange warning.
Western Greece at the mercy of bad weather
Several areas of the country have been on alert since this morning following the emergency weather report, which warns of heavy rainfall, storms and gale-force winds.
A state of emergency was declared in the municipal communities of Agios Arsenios and Aperathos on Naxos after the severe weather events that “hit” the island in the previous days.
On the coastal road of Agios Prokopios, the road surface has subsided and in some places remains in the air.
The municipality of Katerini also requested a state of emergency to be declared following the damage caused to the coastal front.
Due to landslides and subsidence, the municipality of Kalamata decided to evacuate the settlements of Mahala and Ano Meria Alagonia on Taygetos as a precaution, with the last elderly residents being evacuated on Monday afternoon.
What was feared in Ilia has come true. After successive waves of bad weather that hit the region, the decision to cause a controlled release of water from the Karamanlis Dam to the Pinios River caused the river to overflow, resulting in entire areas being transformed into vast lakes.
An entire neighbourhood in the city of Bartholomew remains blocked by the overflow of the Pinios River.
Tzoumerka
The provincial road from Pramanta to Ioannina, near Tzoumerka, has been cut in two, with the area resembling a bombed-out landscape.
The road has disappeared, a passing car was immobilized at the time of the landslide on Sunday morning with the driver being saved literally at the last moment and in a state of shock, the vehicle was removed by crane.
The image from above, revealing the extent of the damage, with the road having suffered a 60-meter subsidence.
Problems in the road network in Kerkyra
Kerkyra has also been experiencing devastation in recent months, with images of landslides and subsidence appearing daily. Pieces of the mountain are falling very close to homes, while there are truly horrific problems throughout the entire road network, meaning the damage is incalculable to this day.
Rise in the level of Louros in Epirus
Landslides are also being recorded in Agnanta due to heavy rainfall, while Epirus continues to suffer its consequences. Specifically, in the Louros region, due to the heavy continuous rainfall, the river level rose, resulting in an entire plain being transformed into an immense lake.
A new landslide occurred in the Agnantes area, while the road from the Plaka bridge to Pramantas remains cut off after the major subsidence, resulting in the road completely disappearing.
Until 12 noon, there was heavy snowfall in the mountainous areas of Epirus, specifically in the areas of Vovousa, Milia Metsovo and Anatoliko and in the Zagori region, resulting in the mobilization of 35 vehicles from the Civil Protection of the Epirus Region, both for snow removal from the mountain network and for cleaning the roads from various landslides and collapses.
The damage on Chios from the tidal phenomenon with the gale-force winds that hit the island on Sunday is enormous.
According to the President of the Chios Port Fund, Pantelis Legatos, the damage to the port of Chios alone reaches 200-250 thousand euros, while significant problems were caused in all the eastern fishing shelters from Komi, Katarraktis to the airport – Daskalopetra line, as well as in Limnia.