“Roads became rivers”: Swiss woman in the middle of a storm surge in Greece

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Greece has been dealing with natural disasters for weeks, especially with many forest fires. After the flames comes the flood. The masses of water that storm Daniel has been pouring over central Greece since Monday evening have exceeded all predictions. Cars are simply swept away by the floods, people are rescued from their homes in dinghies and streets turn into raging rivers. It was especially bad in the region of Thessaly.

This is exactly where the Swiss Doris Roggia (71) currently lives. She has a house on the island of Alonissos and lives there all summer. Actually a quiet, fun time. But not now. “Monday night and Tuesday night was the worst,” she tells Blick. The wind was especially extreme. “The storm carried the rain everywhere – in some places it even rained into our house. I can live with that – but the photos and videos already show that the situation is more devastating than ever.”

She was surprised how well the authorities warned residents. “The Greek civil protection has an alarm system to reach all mobile phones in a region. A warning message was displayed on all smartphones. For example, it said that you should not leave the house and never go out into the street. »

“We can easily stay in this house for a week”

The warning was sent out three times before the mega storm started. Then another message was sent with the urgent comment “it is essential to seek protection”. You took the warning very seriously. “We haven’t left the house since Monday.” Especially on small islands like Alonissos, it is very dangerous not to heed these warnings. “There are many natural roads that turn into raging rivers during such storms.”

The population is therefore prepared for such events. “In our case, we have a supply of groceries at home. We can easily last a week in this house and are well taken care of. In addition, the pergola on the terrace, for example, is built in such a way that it can withstand a lot of water,” says Roggia. One side of the terrace was damaged by the mega storm, “but that cannot be prevented. It is much more important that we all going well.” Electricity and internet went out occasionally. “But you have to take that into account when such storms arise.”

‘The Greeks are exceptionally helpful’

The situation is slowly calming down. “Now I would like to go to the nearby village and see what the situation is like there.” A restaurant owner, a friend of hers, slipped into the kitchen of the restaurant during the storm. “For him, the season is probably over.”

She also experiences the solidarity between the residents as extremely positive. “The Greeks are extremely helpful. People call each other after such a natural disaster, ask how things should be done and if you need anything. People here stick together. That is a must on such small islands,” says Roggia. “You notice that people show solidarity and try to get the best out of such situations. The situation is devastating – but the solidarity is extraordinary.”

Source: Blick