Recovery slow after the storm
Two-thirds of the electricity network on the island of Lemnos was still out of action yesterday after Thursday’s powerful storm that swept Greece with winds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) an hour, leaving villages cut off by snow and ice, severing power lines and forcing schools to close in parts of the country. Teams bringing electricity pylons and generators to Lemnos were due to leave Piraeus yesterday and the Interior Ministry made available 120,000 euros in emergency funds. Power was also cut off on other islands and in parts of northern Attica, where the situation had improved yesterday, although traffic could move only with difficulty on mounts Parnitha and Pendeli. Some bus routes in northern and eastern Attica were still hampered by ice. Snow chains are required on country roads in 25 prefectures. A search was under way for 17 seamen, including one Greek, on the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Kephi, which sank 120 nautical miles west of Crete in winds of force 10 on the Beaufort scale. Low temperatures, heavy rain and snow are expected today, with an improvement from Monday.
