By Sohaib Shams
The UK government has warned British tourists about severe weather in Greece after flash floods hit the island of Rhodes.
Travel advice updated
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice on Tuesday, days after Storm Agneta caused severe flooding and stay-at-home warnings on the popular tourist island.
The Hellenic National Meteorological Service issued an orange weather warning on Monday for the Dodecanese islands, including Rhodes, as well as the Ionian islands and Epirus; the alert has since been lifted.
The FCDO advised tourists to enable emergency alerts on mobile phones to receive warnings from the Greek government’s Emergency Communications Service about earthquakes, wildfires, extreme heat, and flash floods.
Severe flooding on Rhodes
Local media reported residents received emergency warnings around 3:30 a.m. Monday as torrential rain turned streets into fast-flowing rivers, sweeping away at least 60 vehicles and flooding homes and shops. Rescue operations were conducted, and the Civil Protection Office of the Municipality of Rhodes urged residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary movement.
Schools were closed in several areas including Lindos, South Rhodes, Archangelos, and Afantou.
Previous deadly floods
The flooding follows flash floods in mid-October that caused at least three deaths in Greece and Turkey. A 62-year-old man died in Rhodes on October 14 after his car was swept onto a beach; four cars were washed away in that event.
