A powerful storm, Storm Elias, unleashed extensive flooding in the central port city of Volos and its surrounding regions, leaving hundreds stranded in local villages. This comes as the city was still recovering from a Mediterranean storm earlier this month that resulted in flash floods and claimed 16 lives.
The previous storm caused substantial damage, estimated at over €2 billion ($2.3 billion), to farms and infrastructure in the affected areas, as reported by authorities.
These devastating events follow Greece’s hottest summer on record, during which massive wildfires ravaged forests and homes across the country, resulting in more than a dozen fatalities.
Greece’s conservative government, led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has faced criticism for its handling of climate-related disasters. Mitsotakis recently pledged to take action to mitigate climate risks.
Climate experts have repeatedly warned about the urgent need to reduce harmful emissions as global temperatures continue to rise, leading to more severe weather events.
Researchers have also found that climate change intensified the Mediterranean storm that battered Greece earlier this month and affected Libya.
