Emergency meeting was held at Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, under Minister Vassilis Kikiliain view of Emergency Deterioration of Weather Bulletin (EDEK) issued today, Thursday, November 02, 2023 by the National Meteorological Service, according to which the weather will worsen in most areas of the country from the late afternoon of Friday (03-11-23) until noon on Sunday (05-11 -23) with heavy rains and storms, which will be accompanied by hailstorms and a high frequency of lightning, initially in the northwest, gradually in the rest of the west, the north with the extension of the phenomena to the northeast mainland, the eastern Aegean and the Dodecanese. The winds on the seas will be strong.

More detail:

A. Heavy rains and storms are forecast:

On Friday (03-11-23)

a. From late afternoon in her area Corfu-Paxos.

b. From the evening hours on Continent and during the night at western Continent.

On Saturday (04-11-23)

a. From the morning hours in the Ionian, Epirus, western Sterea, western Peloponnese and western Macedonia.

b. From noon in central Macedonia, eastern Macedonia and Thrace as well as the islands of the northeastern Aegean and possibly temporarily the Thessaly.

c. in the evening hours the effects will weaken in most areas and will be limited to Thrace, the islands of the eastern Aegean and the Dodecanese.

On Sunday (05-11-23)

a. In the morning hours at islands of the eastern Aegean and the Dodecanese.

B. Southerly winds of intensity 7 to 8 and possibly locally 9 Beaufort will blow in the Aegean from the morning hours of Saturday (04-11-23) until the late afternoon.

The Minister, Mr. Kikilias, underlined that the entire Civil Protection mechanism is on alert and stressed to all participants the need to be fully prepared, so that the necessary preventive measures can be taken and any problems that may arise due to weather phenomena can be dealt with immediately.

At the same time, citizens are strongly advised to be very careful, to follow the instructions of the authorities and to take all the necessary self-protection measures, in accordance with the instructions of the Public Health Service.

The meeting was attended by the Deputy Ministers of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Evangelos Tournas and Christos Triandopoulos, the General Secretary of Self-Government and Decentralization Michael Stavrianoudakis, the General Secretary of Civil Protection Vassilis Papageorgiou, the Director of the Operations Department of the GHET Major General Prokopios Mavraganis, the Chief of the Greek Police Lieutenant General Lazaros Mavropoulos, 2nd Deputy Commander of the Coast Guard-Hellenic Coast Guard Vice Admiral Aristidis Pantazoglou, the Chief of the Fire Brigade Lieutenant General Georgios Pournaras, the Commander of ESKEDIK Major General Theodoros Vagias, the Chief of Staff of the Fire Brigade Lieutenant General Christos Lambris, the Division Fire Officer Fire Operations Major General Athanasios Balafas, the District Governor Attica Georgios Patoulis, EYDAP CEO Charalambos Sahinis, ADMIE Asset Management and Maintenance General Manager Ioannis Maniatis, ADMIE Transmission System Maintenance Manager Nikos Christou, DEDDI CEO Anastasios Manou, DEDDI Regional Network General Manager E Efstratios Zaharis, STASY CEO Athanasios Kottaras, EMY Commander Brigadier Spyridonas Barsakis, EMY Director Theodoros Kolidas and a scientific team of meteorologists.

Recommendations of the GPPP

Earlier, the General Secretariat of Civil Protection addressed recommendations to citizens to be particularly careful, ensuring that self-protection measures are taken against risks arising from the occurrence of severe weather phenomena.

In particular, in areas where heavy rains, storms or gale-force winds are predicted, the Public Health Service recommends that citizens:

* Secure objects which, if carried away by severe weather conditions, may cause damage or injury.

* To 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.

In areas with intense lightning activity:

If you are at home

* Do not hold electrical appliances or the telephone as lightning can pass through the wires. Disconnect the TV sets from the antenna and the power supply.

* Avoid touching plumbing pipes (kitchen, bathroom) as they are good conductors of electricity.

If you are in the car

* Park it on the side of the road and away from trees that might fall on it.

* Stay inside and turn on your stop warning lights (emergency lights) until the storm clears.

* Close the windows and do not touch metal objects.

* Avoid flooded roads.

If you are outdoors

* Take refuge in a building or car or sit on the ground immediately without lying down.

* Take cover under solid branches of low trees in case you are in a forest.

* Never take shelter under a tall tree in an open area.

* Avoid low lands for the risk of flooding.

* Do not stand next to utility poles, power lines, telephone lines and fences.

* Do not approach metal objects (eg cars, bicycles, camping equipment, etc.).

* Stay away from rivers, lakes or other bodies of water.

* If you are in the sea, get out immediately.

* If you are isolated on a flat surface and feel your hair stand on end (indicating that lightning is about to strike), sit deep with your head between your legs (to minimize your body surface and contact with ground) by throwing the metal objects you have on you.

The General Secretariat of Civil Protection (civilprotection.gov.gr) of the Ministry of Climate Crisis & Civil Protection, has informed the competent government agencies involved in the service, as well as the regions and municipalities of the country, so that they are on increased civil protection readiness, in order to face directly the effects of the occurrence of intense weather phenomena.

At the same time, according to an announcement by the Fire Brigade, the operational plans are being implemented to deal with the risks of floods, as well as their accompanying phenomena, while the Fire Services of the areas where the phenomena are expected to occur, have been placed in a state of heightened readiness and further escalation if required, in order to deal immediately with any problems arising from the occurrence of severe weather phenomena.

For information and announcements regarding the prevailing situation and the passability of the road network due to the inflow of flood waters, citizens can visit the website of ELAS www.astynomia.gr.

For more information and self-protection instructions from severe weather, citizens can visit the website of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection at civilprotection.gov.gr