As Crete locals begin to dig out from under the mud and silt washed seaward by torrential rains, the extent of the destruction becomes more clear. Severe weather has caused extensive damage to roads, infrastructure, businesses, and homes.
Raging waters from rivers and streams overflowing from heavy rainfall sent tons of mud toward the Cretan Sea. Cars and other huge debris were swept seaward, while inland villages saw fairly massive flooding.
Just east of Heraklion’s airport, the village of Gouves was literally cut in two by the raging torrent that carried off a permanent bridge along the shoreline. The video above from Nikos Sarantos of Gouves Beach reveals the extent of the damage at Kato Gouves, not far from our offices here in Heraklion.
Further east, the seaside villages of Hersonissos were hit even harder, particularly at Analipsi, where the town is virtually unrecognizable. In many places there, roads simply cease to exist, while dozens of autos remain mired in the mud. The video below from Fragios Papadogiannakis and Yahoo! shows a deluge of floodwater that was seen roaring down the Kourtaliotiko Gorge.
Although no injuries have been reported, Crete Region authorities say the island’s road network had been severely damaged, along with hundreds of homes and businesses. Tassos Kouroupakis, the civil protection governor for Crete, told Greek state television the damage is “inestimable” a few hours ago.
This is the third time in less than a month that Crete has been hit by flooding, and more heavy rainfall expected to continue throughout today.