Residents of Pelion and Skiathos are assessing the damage on Thursday morning (October 29) after severe storms battered the areas on Greece’s October 28 national holiday, flooding homes and businesses, turning roads into rivers and causing serious disruption to transport.

After hours of torrential rain, with torrents sweeping through residential areas and floodwaters inundating properties, attention has now turned to clearing mud and debris and repairing the damage.

Southern Pelion hit hard by flooding

The village of Platanias in southern Pelion was among the worst-affected areas, with powerful torrents of water flooding roads, courtyards, shops and homes.

Overflowing streams caused serious access problems in parts of the village, while residents and business owners struggled to protect their properties and remove floodwater and mud from their premises.

The situation became so serious on Wednesday that Greece’s 112 emergency alert system was activated, with Civil Protection authorities urging residents to move to higher floors to protect themselves from rising floodwaters.

Southern Pelion mayor Michalis Mitzikos described the severity of the storm in comments to Greek public broadcaster ERT.

“It was an extremely severe weather event, a natural disaster. Fortunately, it lasted only a few hours,” he said.

Mitzikos identified Platanias, Milina and Horto as the areas facing the most serious problems.

He also warned of severe flooding across the municipality, saying that water levels had exceeded two metres, illustrating the scale of the disaster.

Roads flooded in Milina, Horto and Makrinitsa

Similar conditions were reported in Milina and Horto, where streets became rivers as rushing floodwaters carried large quantities of mud and debris through residential areas.

The force of the water caused widespread disruption, leaving residents facing the task of clearing flooded properties and damaged surroundings.

In Makrinitsa, heavy rainfall also triggered flooding, with torrents carrying debris through the village streets.

Flooding and landslides disrupt traffic in Skiathos

The island of Skiathos was also severely affected, with heavy rainfall causing flooding and landslides that forced the closure of sections of the road network on Wednesday.

Conditions were particularly difficult along the Skiathos–Koukounaries road, where police imposed a traffic ban from the Acropolis area to Koukounaries.

The restrictions covered several locations along the route, including Vasilias, Achladies, Agia Paraskevi and Troulos.

Traffic was restored shortly after 6.30pm on Wednesday as the severe weather subsided.

However, drivers have been urged to exercise particular caution because heavy rainfall and landslides have left hazardous conditions at several points along the road network.

There was also considerable concern in the Platanias area of Skiathos, where water levels in a stream rose dangerously high, causing further problems for local transport.

More than 100mm of rainfall recorded

Rainfall measurements highlight the intensity of the storm, with more than 100 millimetres of rain recorded at several locations by Wednesday afternoon.

According to data from meteo.gr, Portaria in Pelion recorded 111.6mm of rainfall, followed by Zagora with 104.4mm and Skiathos with 102.2mm.

The exceptionally high rainfall totals, recorded within just a few hours, caused extensive flooding and left significant damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure across the affected areas.