The last few hours have been very difficult in Central and North Evia, as the bad weather wave has remained over the region for more than 6 hours, «emptying» thousands of tons of water from Mantoudi to Istria and the wider area.
It is characteristic that in the last 24 hours in Istria 400 cubic metres of water per acre have fallen, while in the last 6 hours of incessant rain more than 150 cubic metres of water per acre have fallen in the area.
From midnight onwards, the fire brigade has been called in dozens of incidents to help in rescuing people. Transport is problematic, as roads are closed due to collapses or damage to the road network, tree trunks and cables have fallen to the ground. Water levels have risen to over 60 cm in many cases, making it impossible for rescue teams to access the water.
The road from Madoudi to Pefki is impassable, after some falls have occurred. The same from Kirinthos to Limni. In many cases, rescue teams called for extrication are unable to reach the villages.
From midnight onwards they were called to dozens of incidents both in Kerameia and in between from Madoudi to Kerameia to help families and even to climb to an upper floor for safety since the water had exceeded 60 cm.
The last few hours have been very difficult in Istria and the wider region, as rescues and rescues of people are continuous. Among them, firefighters had to intervene to extricate a mother and a small child in Asminios who were surrounded by water. They are also operating with boats in Pefki, Gouves, Prokopi and other villages in central and northern Evia, while calls are constant from coastal villages in Istria.
Even the movement of firefighting forces from the centre of Chalkida to North Evia is impossible, as the roads do not allow it, while earth-moving machinery is working all night to be able to open a passage for the rescue teams to pass.
The situation in Lamia
In Lamia, all night long they tried to reinforce the dikes in the river Spercheios to avoid flooding in a wider area.
Dozens of trucks are unloading material and reinforcing the embankments at critical points, so far holding back the momentum of the river.
This was helped by a lull for about 6 hours in the intensity of the rainfall so that there was no excessive volume of water. But since 4:00 in the morning it has been raining torrentially both in Lamia and in West Fthiotida and the agony has begun again for the Spiraeus.
The residents of the village of Comma, which is in immediate danger, have been in a constant state of readiness since last night, so that when the evacuation signal is given, they can leave quickly to avoid being trapped by the waters. As a precautionary measure, some 15 families with vulnerable members have been transferred to hotels and their relatives. Earthmovers have been working on the embankments all night and many of the residents remain gathered with the authorities at the community office. Buses are waiting near the village to help remove people, while domestic animals have already been moved to safe places since yesterday.
