Greece is grappling with two overlapping extreme weather events that have already claimed one life, upended travel and infrastructure, and put residents and tourists on high alert ahead of the key Easter holiday travel season. The deadly combination of Storm Erminio, which has brought gale-force winds, torrential rain and widespread flooding across much of the country, and an incoming Saharan dust storm that has turned Mediterranean skies a deep reddish-orange over the popular tourist island of Crete, has emergency services stretched thin.
The fatality was reported in the coastal town of Nea Makri, located roughly 30 kilometers northeast of Athens. Local fire department officials confirmed that the victim, a man in his 50s, was killed early Thursday after being swept away by fast-moving floodwaters while attempting to cross a submerged street. His body was later recovered trapped under a parked car, and the nearby Nea Makri police station also suffered significant basement flooding from the storm surge.
Across the country, Storm Erminio has left a trail of damage. On the Saronic island of Poros, a major bridge collapsed after being battered by floodwaters, and multiple vehicles were washed away by rushing currents. Regional authorities have closed schools in hard-hit areas to keep residents out of harm’s way, and high gale-force winds have forced all ferries to remain anchored at ports across the Aegean, halting inter-island travel for thousands of travelers. Greek media reports that some ferry departures could resume Thursday if weather conditions improve.
Between Wednesday and early Thursday, the Greek fire department received more than 670 calls for emergency assistance, the vast majority from the Attica region surrounding Athens. Most of the calls came from residents reporting downed trees and flood damage to homes and properties, with local media also documenting multiple incidents of motorists trapped inside their vehicles by rising floodwaters.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers south on Crete, Greece’s largest island and one of its top tourist destinations, a different weather hazard has disrupted daily life: a thick plume of Saharan dust carried north across the Mediterranean has blanketed the island, turning the normally bright blue sky a rusty reddish-orange. The dust plume forced the cancellation and diversion of multiple commercial flights into Crete’s major airports Wednesday as low visibility disrupted landing and takeoff operations.
Ahead of the Easter holiday, one of the busiest travel periods of the year for Greece, the travel disruptions have hit Crete particularly hard. Local residents and tourists have taken to wearing protective face masks to avoid inhaling the fine particulate dust, and Greece’s national meteorological service has issued a Level Red weather warning for western and southern Crete, effective from midday Thursday through late Thursday night. The warning notes that widespread infrastructure damage and significant risk to life are likely over the warning period.
Greece’s national weather service has also extended severe storm warnings to most of the rest of the country, cautioning that the long-lasting, intense rain and thunderstorm activity brought by Storm Erminio will continue through Thursday.