Rainstorms move to the islands
A state of emergency was declared on eight of the largest Cyclades islands yesterday after heavy rainstorms flooded hundreds of buildings and eroded roads, as much of Greece remained snowed under following days of protracted bad weather. Andros, Syros, Tinos, Myconos, Paros, Naxos, Sifnos and Serifos were worst hit by storms that affected most of the archipelago. On Paros, more rain fell in 20 hours than during the average year (some 200 millimeters), and dozens of houses and shops were flooded. Schools were kept shut in the northern prefectures of Grevena, Kozani, Florina and in most of Pieria due to problems with snow yesterday. On the outskirts of Athens, the fire brigade had to send a half-track vehicle to the air force radar station on the top of Mount Pendeli for the change of guard. Meanwhile in Voula, southern Athens, yet another road collapsed yesterday due to ground subsidence, damaging two cars. And in the Cretan village of Roussospiti, Rethymnon, Georgia Fotaki, 68, was killed by a landslide when she went out in the morning to feed her hens.
