Ianos storms on Friday left damage in their wake. Authorities were trying to prevent destruction at the artificial reservoir of Xirias in central Greece, which would flood the nearby city of Almyros, following storms from midday on related to the Mediterranean hurricane (Medicane), known as Ianos.
Civil Protection, Magnesia Prefecture and Almyros officials also tried to free three people who were trapped in a car while trying to flee the area of Xirias, after the facilities there were hit by the storms and destroyed.
The Fire Brigade could not reach them and a helicopter cannot fly because of the strong winds in the area. “The three workers are holding on to trees and partly submerged, having been swept away by water when they decided to leave the workplace,” Deputy Regional Director of Magnesia Dorothea Kolyndrini told ANA-MPA. Almyros is in danger of being flooded if Xirias overfloods, she noted.
A bridge in the area collapsed and another bridge on a side road leading to the national highway was also destroyed. The Volos-Almyros traffic is currently served through the Athens-Thessaloniki national highway.
Magnesia’s central city of Volos is not facing any other issues besides constant power failures, while the large volume of water on the streets was absorbed quickly through the sewage system.
In Karditsa a driver is missing in Magnesia and there are fears that lives will be claimed as Ianos passes through the country.
READ MORE: Greece braces for onslaught of Cyclone Ianos over the weekend
Waves break on a seaside tavern during a storm at the port of Argostoli, on the Ionian island of Kefalonia, western Greece, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. Photo: AAP
Photo: AMNA
A video from the island of Kefalonia shows the force of the damage:
Ianos, currently active in Greece, is moving from the western shores of Greece towards the south, central and eastern parts of mainland Greece, which are experiencing heavy rainfall as of Friday afternoon.
According to the National Observatory of Athens and its Meteo service, extended hours of heavy rainfall are expected in southern areas of Central Greece and the eastern Peloponnese.
In Attica, Meteo predicted intense and intermittent rain overnight, especially in the northern and eastern parts of the region.
According to the service’s data, the mainland is experiencing rainfall of over 50 mm/hour, while the Observatory’s network of 360 on-land stations recorded instances where rainfall reached over 140 mm/hour up to 17:20 on Friday.