Hail pounds crops in Pieria
The bad weather may have ruined plans that many people around Greece had for the long weekend, but a sudden hailstorm on Saturday in Pieria, northern Greece, appears to have ruined the crops of a number of local farmers. Inspectors from the Hellenic Agricultural Insurance Organization (ELGA) are due to arrive in the area today to assess the damage done by the hail, which is thought to have affected crops totaling an area of some 500 hectares. The local prefecture said that the storm had hit the mountainous areas of Petra and Elafina and that cherry and tobacco farmers were mainly affected. «The hailstorm lasted about 15 minutes, covering the crops in a white blanket 20 millimeters thick,» said Petros Papanikolaou, the deputy prefect of Pieria. The farmers will now seek compensation for their lost crops from ELGA.
