Storm Bora, the weather system that swept across the country Saturday, claiming the lives of two men on Lemnos, has also impacted Rhodes, prompting authorities to impose a traffic ban as sections of the island’s road network have been heavily damaged.
“The situation on the island is devastating and deeply shocking. The people of Rhodes are reeling from what occurred on Saturday,” Giorgos Hatzimarkos, South Aegean Regional Governor, told Kathimerini Sunday morning.
The traffic ban has been imposed as large sections of the island’s road network have been completely destructed, while the weather system is highly likely to re-intensify and bring further downpours from midday, the regional official explained.
Hatzimarkos described the downpour as unprecedented, noting that such rainfall has never before been recorded in the South Aegean.
In Lemnos, the downpour began in the early hours of Saturday, with rainfall intensity reaching 211 tons of water per ¼ acre.
By Sunday morning, the island accumulated more than 150 tons of rain per ¼ acre. The rainfall has steadily diminished, but Lemnos remains on high alert as experts warn of potential weather disturbances later in the day.
This story has been updated.