Images of devastation from severe weather in Crete – New 112 alert in Ierapetra, concern for 8 people stranded in Samaria Gorge

Residents of Crete are enduring difficult conditions for a third consecutive day due to the severe weather that has battered the island.

Heavy rainfall continues across the wider Ierapetra area, where, according to an update from the Fire Service, water is once again accumulating and large amounts of debris have been deposited on the roads, mainly in the areas of Ferma and Koutsounari in Ierapetra.

For this reason, at 10:56 a message was issued via the 112 emergency service advising residents to restrict travel across the wider Ierapetra area. Due to the accumulation of water, assistance was also requested to transfer 47 people to a safe location from short-term rental accommodation and hotels in Ferma and Koutsounari.

Authorities clarified that the people are not in danger and no health problems have been reported.

Their transfer is under way, with crews from the Ierapetra Fire Service, swift-water rescue teams from the 3rd and 6th EMAK disaster response units, as well as two teams from the 3rd EMODE special forest operations unit taking part.

As the weather conditions ease, the floodwaters are also expected to recede, revealing the full extent of the damage, while inspections and damage assessments will gradually begin.

The rainfall totals recorded in Crete are indicative of the severity of the phenomenon. The quantities of water that fell were so great that, under normal conditions, they would correspond to roughly a year’s worth of rainfall.

The ground was unable to absorb the enormous volume of water, resulting in flooding, landslides and widespread destruction.

Machinery from the regional and municipal authorities is operating in the affected areas, while DEDDIE crews are working to repair damage to the electricity network, including at locations where utility poles have fallen.

Huge volumes of water and landslides – Devastation from the Lasithi Plateau to Zoniana

According to Cretalive.gr, enormous volumes of water surged through Zoniana, turning roads into torrents, while mud and debris caused serious damage to property and infrastructure.

The most serious problem in the area was recorded at the river, whose retaining walls have been breached at several points. Residents had been advised since yesterday afternoon to leave their homes.

The situation was serious enough for military assistance to be requested in order to bring in additional machinery. The response was immediate both in Ano Mylopotamos and in Amari, where the damage was also extensive. Successive waves of heavy rainfall there have caused serious problems on the road network, with landslides, large volumes of water and debris making travel difficult or impossible at several locations.

Conditions were particularly difficult in the municipal communities of Fourfouras, Platania and Vistagi, where roads had been transformed into raging torrents. The prolonged rainfall swept large quantities of water, rocks and soil onto the roads, while landslides were also reported.

On the Lasithi Plateau, the severe weather caused enormous damage, with the scale of the destruction captured dramatically in drone footage. The Municipality of the Lasithi Plateau was declared to be in a state of emergency, while residents saw their properties buried in mud.

Damage was also extensive in Heraklion. Farmers in the Profitis Ilias area are in despair following the severe weather and the unprecedented volume of water that swept away everything in its path.

In Ierapetra, four people were rescued by the coastguard from the bay of Agia Fotia after severe flooding made it impossible to use the road network in the area.

According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, the four people were picked up by a patrol boat and safely transported to the small harbour of Makry Gialos in Ierapetra. All four are in good health.

According to forecasts by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, the severe weather in Crete is expected to persist, albeit with less intensity, on Sunday before gradually subsiding.

Fire Service forces remain deployed in strength throughout the Region of Crete, while all relevant authorities remain on heightened alert.

Samaria: Concern for 8 people stranded in the gorge – Supplies will last until Wednesday

Concern remains over the eight people stranded in Samaria Gorge, as the continuing rainfall is still preventing rescue teams from safely approaching and evacuating them.

As long as the rain continues, the water level and the flow of the stream that has formed inside the National Park cannot subside. According to ERT, preparations for the rescue operation are expected to begin as soon as the weather improves and the water starts to recede.

According to the latest information, those stranded are experienced and remain calm at their current location.

A doctor is with them, and they have medicines and the necessary supplies. They remain in good contact with the outside world, as they have access to a telephone, the internet and satellite communications.

The instructions they have received are clear: under no circumstances should they attempt to leave their current location while the water flow remains dangerous.

The plan is for them to wait until rescuers can safely approach. Once the water level drops, a team is expected to set out from the Xyloskalo area to reach those stranded and then escort them safely out of the gorge.

Exactly when the operation will be possible depends on the development of the weather conditions and the receding water levels.

The supplies available to those stranded will last until Wednesday, providing a timeframe for the rescue operation.

For the time being, however, there is no cause for panic. The situation is being monitored, and those stranded remain in contact with the relevant authorities and those coordinating the operation.

Concern remains, but all sides are waiting for conditions to improve so that, as soon as it is safe, the operation to reach and evacuate them from the gorge can begin.

Ierapetra: Driver describes terrifying moment boulder fell onto his car

Manolis Lathourakis from Ierapetra had a lucky escape when a huge boulder broke away from a hillside and fell onto the road directly in front of his car.

Speaking to ERTnews, he described the dramatic seconds in which the incident unfolded, saying that he was saved by his reflexes and by the shouts of people who saw the boulder breaking loose.

He said the boulder suddenly appeared in front of him, leaving him virtually no time to react other than to immediately hit the brakes.

“I suddenly saw it in front of me and crashed into it. I hit it, although of course I was travelling at low speed, but it was truly unbelievable,” he said.

Lathourakis explained that people in the area shouted to warn him about the boulder, as everything happened within a matter of seconds.

“The shouts from the people who saw the boulder breaking loose from above saved me. And at that moment, when I hit the brakes, the car stopped in front of the boulder within fractions of a second as it fell,” he said.

He added that four or five cars carrying tourists were travelling behind him and that the occupants panicked when they realised what had happened.

“Imagine, there were four or five cars with tourists behind me, and they went crazy when they saw me get out. They didn’t know what to do,” he said.

He stressed that he had been driving slowly, something he believes proved crucial. A landslide had occurred about 50 metres earlier, meaning drivers were already proceeding with increased caution.

“We know that landslides happen in this area and, in fact, about 50 metres earlier there had been a landslide just a few minutes before. A short while earlier you could see the rocks there, and we were driving carefully, but we never imagined something like this,” he said.

Lathourakis also emphasised the sheer size of the boulder, saying photographs did not convey its true dimensions.

“It is enormous. A huge boulder — you can’t tell from the photograph,” he said.

Reflecting on his ordeal, he said he had been lucky but also recalled other tragic incidents caused by severe weather in the area.

“I was lucky, of course. But I would also like to say that a few years ago, three or four years ago, a young woman — if you remember — in Agia Fotia, a woman from Slovenia, was not so lucky,” he said, referring to the tragedy in Agia Fotia.

He also referred to an earlier incident, stressing the need for residents and visitors to the area to treat severe weather with greater caution.

“We have to be careful with these floods, with the weather; we have to respect it. I don’t know what else to say,” he said.