Bad weather Barbara: Civil Protection meeting – What was decided

A new coordination meeting was concluded under the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Stylianidis, to evaluate the latest meteorological data and to update the instructions to the competent agencies to deal with of the bad weather “BARBARA” which continues to affect much of the country.

The meeting was attended by:

The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Stylianidis, the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Stelios Petsas, the Deputy Minister of Citizen Protection, Eleftherios Economou, the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Evangelos Tournas, the General Secretary of Civil Protection, Vasilios Papageorgiou, the General Secretary of Transport, Ioannis Xifaras, Secretary General of Trade, Sotirios Anagnostopoulos, the Regional Governor of Attica, George Patoulis, the Chief of the Fire Brigade Lieutenant General, George Pournaras and the Deputy Chief, Lieutenant General Marios Apostolidis, the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Christos Lambris, the Chief of the Hellenic Police Lieutenant General Konstantinos Skoumas, the Director of Attica Traffic Brigadier General Christos Papafilippou, the Deputy Commander of ESKEDIK, Anastasios Michalopoulos, the Director of Emergency Planning of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, Dimitris Alexandris, the president of EKAB, Nikolaos Papaevstathio y, the National Meteorological Service (NMS) and the scientific team of meteorologists.

According to the updated data of the National Meteorological Service, the bad weather will continue during tonight’s night and until the morning hours tomorrow, while it will worsen with heavy snowfall and frost mainly in northern Attica as well as in Magnesia, Eastern Thessaly including Sporades, Fthiotida, Boeotia and Evia.

At the meeting it was decided as follows:

Firstlyas the Attica Traffic Directorate has already announced, from today at 20:00 and until further notice, the traffic of heavy vehicles over 3.5 tons is suspended along the entire length of the Athens-Thessaloniki National Road in both traffic streams, as well as in Old Athens-Thessaloniki National Road.

Secondly, tomorrow, February 7, public sector workers will come to their services at 10:00 in the morning in the Region of Attica and the Regional Units of Boeotia, Evia, Evrytania and Fthiotida of the Region of Central Greece. A relevant announcement has already been issued by the competent Ministry of the Interior.

Thirdly, as stated in an announcement by the Ministry of Development and Investments, tomorrow, February 7, shops in the north, north-west and north-east of Attica, including the northern suburbs of Athens, will be able to be open from 11:00 in the morning. It is also prohibited to transport and sell goods through delivery or courier services, in the same areas, as well as in the Regional Units of Magnesia, Fthiotida, Boeotia, Evia and Sporades until 11.00 am.

The General Secretariat of Civil Protection and ESKEDIK are coordinating the implementation of the action plan and the “Boreas 2” Plan regarding the management of the consequences of snowfall and frost. All forces will remain on full alert and alert throughout the night.

The strict recommendation to citizens is repeated to drastically reduce their movements to those absolutely necessary and to take all necessary self-protection measures in accordance with the instructions of the Public Health Service.

In case it is necessary to move, before we start, we are informed:

– about the prevailing situation and the passability of the road network from the website of the Hellenic Police and
– about the prevailing weather conditions from the website of the National Meteorological Service

It is emphasized again that it is mandatory to equip all vehicles with anti-skid means. The Greek Police continues to carry out strict checks.

It is recalled that according to the updated emergency bulletin of dangerous weather phenomena issued today by the National Meteorological Service (EMY) and the latest forecast data, the snowfalls already occurring in the eastern country and southern country will continue until tomorrow, Tuesday 07-02-2023, while strong frost will occur on the mainland and stormy northeast winds will blow in the Aegean.

More detailed: Snowfalls

1) Today, Monday (06/02/2023), the snowfalls that are already occurring in the eastern and southern regions will continue and from the late afternoon will be heavy at times in eastern Magnesia, the Sporades, Evia, eastern Sterea as well as in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas of the Eastern Peloponnese, the Cyclades and Crete.

2) Especially for Attica, snowfall will occur even in areas with low altitude, which will be dense at times from the evening to the dawn of Tuesday (07/02/2023), mainly in the east and the north. It will snow again and briefly on Tuesday afternoon. There will be frost in places, which will be strong in the north.

3) On Tuesday (07/02/2023) snowfall is expected to continue in the Sporades (until the midday hours), in eastern Magnesia, Evia, eastern Sterea, in the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean as well as in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas of the Eastern Peloponnese, the Cyclades (mainly in the western parts) and Crete (mainly in the west and central).

A gradual decline in the phenomena is expected from noon and from the north.

Frost

Strong frost will be noted in the continental areas, which in the north will be total in places (negative temperatures throughout the day).

Stormy Winds

North northeast winds of intensity 8 to 9 Beaufort will blow in the Aegean and from Tuesday (07/02/2023) they will gradually weaken. from the occurrence of severe weather phenomena.

In particular, in areas where snowfall and frost are predicted:

If they are going to travel by car:

-To be informed about the weather and the condition of the road network
– Have anti-skid chains on their vehicle and a full tank of fuel
-To travel, if necessary, preferably during the day preferring the main roads
-To inform their relatives about the route they are going to follow
-To change their travel schedule to avoid peak weather conditions
– To faithfully follow the instructions of the local authorities, such as Traffic, etc.

If moving on foot:

Dress in several layers of light clothing rather than a heavy garment and wear appropriate footwear to avoid slippery injuries
To avoid unnecessary movements during the peak of the phenomena (heavy snowfall, freezing conditions)

Also, in areas where heavy rainfall, storms or gale-force winds are expected to occur:

To secure objects which, if carried away by severe weather conditions, may cause damage or injury.
Make sure that the gutters and downspouts of the houses are not blocked and are working properly.
Avoid crossing torrents and streams, on foot or by vehicle, during storms and rainfall, but also for several hours after the end of their event
Avoid outdoor work and activities in marine and coastal areas during severe weather events (risk of lightning strikes).
Take shelter immediately during a hailstorm. Take shelter in a building or car and do not leave the safe area until they are sure the storm has passed. Hail can be very dangerous for animals too.
Avoid passing under large trees, under posted signs and in general areas where light objects (e.g. pots, broken glass, etc.) can become detached and fall to the ground (e.g. under balconies) .
To faithfully follow the instructions of the local authorities, such as Traffic, etc.

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