Greece: Severe storm, floods batter Athens, fire-hit island
ABC News
Severe storms have swept across Greece, flooding hundreds of homes in Athens and prompting evacuations on an island ravaged by summer wildfires
ATHENS, Greece -- Severe storms swept across Greece Thursday, flooding hundreds of homes in Athens and prompting evacuations on the island of Evia that was ravaged by summer wildfires.
Rescuers were also preparing to use helicopters to lift stranded people off rooftops in flooded and remote areas on the northwestern island of Corfu, Civil Protection and Climate Change Minister Christos Stylianides said.
“There is no doubt that we are facing a dangerous weather phenomenon that is very serious in some parts of the country,” said Stylianides, a former European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management.
On Evia, at least three areas hit by the wildfires in August were being evacuated. Several dozen people were moved out of their homes in the north of the island and were making arrangements to stay with friends or at hotel rooms booked by the regional authority.
