Storms Flood Farms and Homes in Northern Greece
Date: 07-Aug-07
Country: GREECE
Heavy rains hit northern Greece overnight, in the middle of an unusually hot summer, causing floods and power cuts in the city of Thessaloniki and other towns in the region.
"We have intense storms in the north ... and they are likely to continue for several hours," Greek weather service director Dimitris Ziakopoulos told state TV.
He said the storms could spread to the rest of the country and hit the Aegean islands in the middle of the tourist season.
About 50 houses and shops in the northeastern town of Komotini have been destroyed by the floods. The fire brigade received nearly 200 emergency calls from Komotini and Thessaloniki residents to pump water out of buildings.
TV showed cars trapped in muddy streets and trees uprooted by strong winds. Hundreds of hectares of cotton and tobacco crops have been destroyed.
Greece has experienced two heat waves this summer that have killed more than 10 people and sent dozens to hospital as temperatures soared to 46 Celsius (115 Fahrenheit). The country has also been ravaged by thousands of forest fires.