Storm Ianos Damages Parts of Greece

Storm Ianos, a rare Mediterranean hurricane (or medicane) devastated parts of Greece when it made landfall on September 18, bringing to the country’s western coast 60mph winds and waves measuring over twenty feet tall.  

The medicane killed at least three people. Fire brigade officials reported the discovery of two men’s bodies near Karditsa in central Greece, while officials in the nearby town of Farsala found the body of an elderly woman in her flooded home. Two other individuals remain missing as of September 20.

A boat carrying over 50 migrants radioed the Greek coast during the storm after becoming overwhelmed by the weather conditions off of the Peloponnese peninsula. The coast guard believes that boat may have changed course after “receiving no help.”

Overall, emergency responders received over 2,500 calls from people asking in need of rescue from flooded homes and vehicles. Reports revealed that floodwater inundated upwards of 5,000 homes in Karditsa alone.

Photographs from affected areas show collapsed buildings, broken power lines, and flooded streets. 

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulu offered her sympathies to the storm victims and their families on Twitter. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also tweeted his condolences while assuring “immediate support” to the affected areas.

Historically, storms of this magnitude have rarely occurred in the region. Mediterranean cyclones such as Ianos, did not affect Greece at all before 1995. However, as sea temperatures rise, storms have become more prevalent.

In a statement to the Guardian, Ethymios Lekkas, a professor of geology and geoenvironment at Athens University, said that “such intense phenomena are linked to the climate crisis. [They] are forecast to occur with ever more frequency.”

Storms of this nature have become an almost annual occurrence in Greece. A similar storm hit the country in 2018, and flash floods killed 25 people in 2017.