by Richard Davies, floodlist

Early February saw flash flooding in parts of north eastern Greece and western Turkey, where homes and vehicles were damaged. Three people tragically lost their lives in the floods, including one firefighter.

Greece
The fire-fighter died while carrying out flood rescues in north eastern Greece. The tragedy occurred in a village on the outskirts of Alexandroupolis in the Evros Region of Greece on 01 February 2021. Flash flooding was reported in other areas of the region, including in the city of Alexandroupolis and the town of Soufli.

Alexandroupolis saw around 200 mm of rain 01 to 02 February.  Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) said “roads turned into rivers” in areas around the city. The Greek Fire Service helped evacuate people from flooded areas, including students and teachers from a secondary school. The service said it responded to a total of 55 calls for assistance in Alexandroupolis and 11 calls for assistance in Soufli, where damage to homes and businesses was reported. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Katerina Sakellaropoulou both expressed their condolences on the death of the firefighter.

Turkey
Severe flooding was also reported in Izmir Province of western Turkey during this period. Flooding blocked roads and caused widespread traffic disruption in the city of Izmir and surrounding districts on 02 February 2021.  Around 50 homes and businesses as well as 40 vehicles were damaged. Local media reported 2 flood-related fatalities in Menderes district on 02 February 2021.

Turkey’s meteorological agency, Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğ (MGM) reported that 123.9mm of rain fell in 24 hours to 02 February in Konak district of İzmir and 130.9 mm in 24 hours to 03 February in Menderes district.