Serres floodwaters submerge thousands of hectares of farmland
Thousands of hectares of farmland in Serres, northern Greece, have been submerged by floodwaters from the Strymonas River, which broke its banks on Sunday, with local officials struggling to avert further damage by erecting new flood barriers as dams and flood defenses have been wrecked.
Members of the armed forces, fire service and police remained on standby on Wednesday to protect villages, farms and livestock.
Representatives of local authorities were in Athens on Wednesday for talks with Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis that were expected to focus on the extent of the flood damage and claims for compensation.
Authorities have also been on standby for the possible flooding of Lake Kerkini after the Strymonas, which flows from Bulgaria, broke its banks.
