The storm has caused enormous problems in Crete, with Anogeia flooded and roads in Zoniana turned into impassable routes. Damage to crops is incalculable, particularly on the Lasithi Plateau, where tonnes of potatoes lie buried under water. In total, 101 people have been rescued and taken to safety over the past 24 hours, while infrastructure in the affected areas has suffered extensive damage. A government delegation will travel to Crete tomorrow to assess the situation.

According to the network of automatic weather stations run by the National Observatory of Athens / meteo.gr, rainfall at Xyloskalo in Chania reached 420 mm, equivalent to 420 tonnes of water per stremma (1,000 square metres).

Residents of Zoniana describe an unprecedented situation. A 90-year-old woman told Orange Press Agency that she struggles to recall anything like it happening before. “This has never happened before, my child. What can we say? God knows, I don’t know why God did this to us,” she said, as she tried to sweep the water away from her home with a broom.

Describing the difficult hours they endured, she spoke of the despair caused by residents’ inability to respond to the force of the storm, regardless of their age. “In all my 90 years, I have never seen anything like this. It is the first time it has happened to us, and there is nothing we can do. Neither the young nor the old. I never expected this to happen to us. Do you remember anything like it? No. What can I say, my child, what can I say. We were in despair. We will be lost, I tell you. May God look after the young,” said the village resident.

Meanwhile, large-scale operations by Civil Protection and the Army are under way in the wider area. They continued throughout the night and are continuing with the same intensity today.

According to the latest Fire Service update (13:20), covering the period from the onset of the weather phenomena in the Region of Crete on 1 October 2026 until today, 4 October 2026, at 12:30, the Fire Service Operations Centre received 485 calls and responded to 204 incidents.

Specifically, crews carried out:

96 water pumping operations

101 transfers of people to safe locations, and

7 tree removals

Government delegation to Crete tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, Monday 5 October 2026, an enlarged government delegation will travel to Crete to address the problems caused by the storm on the island. It will include Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Dimas, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas, Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Giannis Andrianos, Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Kostas Katsafados, and the Secretary General for Natural Disaster Recovery and State Aid, Petros Kampouris.

A meeting will be held at the Region of Crete with the participation of the competent bodies and representatives of local government, aimed at assessing the situation, recording the damage and coordinating efforts to deal with the consequences of the storm.

The delegation will then visit the affected areas of Mylopotamos, Ierapetra and the Lasithi Plateau, to be briefed on the situation and the needs that have arisen on the ground.

Farmers demand immediate compensation

Against the backdrop of widespread destruction, the Agricultural Association of the Lasithi Plateau held an emergency open meeting on Saturday, attended by representatives of the municipal authority and local residents.

The focus was on the need for immediate support for affected producers and for repairs to the damage.

Among other things, farmers are calling for full and immediate compensation, financial support through De Minimis aid and the Hellenic Agricultural Insurance Organisation (ELGA), and changes to ELGA’s regulations so that damage caused by extreme weather is covered more fully.

They are also seeking tax and social security relief, a freeze on loan obligations for those affected, and the immediate repair of the rural road network and drainage infrastructure.

The meeting also discussed the need to clear and reinforce canals and rivers, and to review how the sluice gates operate, so that the impact of similar events can be limited in future.

A new meeting is scheduled for today, Sunday 4 October, at 17:00 in the multipurpose hall of the Municipality of Lasithi Plateau.

The true scale of the disaster is expected to become clear in the coming days, once the waters recede and a detailed survey of both crops and infrastructure begins.

Schools in Kouloukonas and Zoniana to stay closed on Monday and Tuesday

All primary and secondary schools, as well as nurseries, in the municipal units of Kouloukonas and Zoniana in the Municipality of Mylopotamos will remain closed on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 October.

The decision was taken by Mylopotamos Mayor Giorgos Klados, as problems continue to be reported following the severe weather that hit the area.

Specifically, difficulties in accessing settlements and school buildings, combined with problems affecting the water supply networks, make it unsafe for schools to reopen in these areas.

The Municipality of Mylopotamos stressed that its priority is the safety of pupils, teachers and other staff, as well as ensuring the necessary hygiene conditions.

Meanwhile, in the municipal unit of Gerapotamos, schools of all levels and nurseries will operate as normal on Monday and Tuesday.

Municipal services are continuing their work to deal with the problems left behind by the storm, and any further developments regarding the operation of schools will be announced.

Photos of the flooded areas on the Lasithi Plateau.

Photo source: neakriti