Woman missing, Hydra emergency, as rain continues

As heavy showers continued in most parts of Greece for a second day, rescue crews were last night still searching for a woman whose car was washed away by a flash flood on Thursday night in Kamatero, west of Athens, close to an area where a man died after becoming trapped in his vehicle on the same day. Authorities said they widened their search after finding the missing woman’s abandoned car.

Meanwhile, the Saronic island of Hydra was declared in a state of emergency yesterday after widespread flooding took out roads and swept mud, debris and outdoor cafe furniture into the port. Seaside businesses sustained considerable damage from the floods on the car-free island, though there were no reports of injuries.

Flooding has also destroyed hundreds of hectares of farmland in Ilia and Achaia in the Peloponnese, but there are no estimates yet of the precise extent of the damage.

In Attica, Regional Governor Rena Dourou and Infrastructure Minister Christos Spirtzis made a joint statement yesterday assuring that cooperation between the two authorities is “excellent” following reports of counteraccusations in the wake of Thursday’s floods in western Attica. Dourou said she also met with Interior Minister Panayiotis Kouroublis to discuss legislation that would more clearly distinguish the roles of various authorities in natural disaster prevention and recovery efforts.