Greece: State of emergency declared on Crete due to heavy rain, flooding April 8

Event

Authorities have declared a state of emergency on Crete as of Monday, April 8, due to heavy rainfall and flooding. Among the areas most severely affected by the flooding are the towns of Ierapetra and Sitia. On a related note, a power outage was reported around Athens' Syntagma Square on Monday afternoon (local time) due to inclement weather conditions.

Further rainfall is forecast on Crete over the coming hours, which may exacerbate flooding and consequent transportation and business disruptions. Localized power outages cannot be ruled out.  

Advice

Individuals in the affected areas are advised to monitor local weather reports, adhere to instructions issued by local authorities, anticipate flooding and associated transportation and business disruptions (including due to road closures), and remember that walking or driving through running water can be dangerous - 15 cm (6 in) of moving water is enough to knock over an adult - and that floodwater may contain wastewater and chemical products; all items having come into contact with floodwater should be disinfected and all foodstuffs discarded.