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Between 30 September and 4 October 2026, Crete was hit by five consecutive days of intense rain and thunderstorms. Greece's General Secretariat for Civil Protection activated a red code for the island from the evening of 30 SeptemberAuthorities placed the whole island on red alert, schools in Chania and Rethymno were closed on 1 October, and repeated 112 emergency alerts were issued for parts of Rethymno, Heraklion and Lasithi. The highest totals fell over the mountains: more than 220 mm was reported at Profitis Ilias (Heraklion) on 1 October, and the Lasithi Plateau received about 440 mm in two days and around 470 mm in four days, compared with a normal annual total of 700-900 mm. Damage was reported in all four regional units. In Mylopotamos (Rethymno), the village of Zoniana was flooded, the Diskouri bridge near Livadia was swept away and 30-40 residents were evacuated. An 80-year-old livestock farmer was found dead near Karines in Rethymno after being swept away by a stream. In Lasithi, landslides and torrents damaged roads and tourist areas around Ierapetra, and up to 85% of the crops on the Lasithi Plateau may have been affected. Between 1 and 4 October the Fire Service received 485 calls and moved 101 people to safety. Greece activated the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMSR933) to map the affected areas.
Sources: Euronews, ProtoThema, GreekReporter Greek City Times
2. Analyses and Observations
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