The devastation of severe weather has once more overrun Greece with storms in the Aegean Sea continuing to cause immense chaos across numerous islands.
The storms have dominated the Greek landscape this week, starting on Monday and carrying through to Wednesday.
The phenomena have affected many islands like Paros, Mykonos, Chios, Samos, Crete, Syros, Symi, Kalmynos, Rhodes and Kos, with them falling victim to multiple days of torrential rain, hailstorms, and fierce winds.
At Paros, the severe storms have turned the streets into rivers with cars flowing towards the sea and homes getting overrun with water and mud.
Paros mayor Costas Bizas told ERT: “Roads have been damaged and we need help with more machines so that we can clear the streets … all this catastrophe happened in two hours.”
Hail proved most damaging to Mykonos with parts of the landscape getting covered by a thick layer of white ice, with excavators carving channels through the floodwaters in an effort to save homes and businesses from further ruin.
Crete suffered the worst of the rain, with Chania recording the highest precipitation levels, causing roads to crumble under the sheer weight of the water.
Emergency responders have worked around the clock to rescue people, including many trapped in their vehicles.
Greek officials reported that 13 people were rescued by firefighters in Paros with no one reported injured or missing, while seven motorists were saved in Crete.
The devastation has deeply impacted the local areas, wreaking havoc on many homes and businesses and distressing locals and tourists alike that have been forced to bear witness to the extreme weather events.
Schools have been shut down in response to the storms across many impacted islands while ferry services were also down, leaving many people stranded.
Public warnings were issued by local authorities urging residents to stay indoors.
Scientists claim the extreme weather events are another byproduct of climate change, with these events just the latest to hit Greece after severe earthquakes earlier this year and terrible bushfires in recent years.
Flights are reportedly still operating to the Greek islands as normal, though various shops, restaurants and tourist attractions are likely to be closed owing to the devastation.
There have not been reports of any deaths caused by the flooding, a bright light amid the chaos and wreckage imposed by the storms.
