Flood-hit central Greece braces for new storm as military crews help bolster flood defenses

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Emergency services in central Greece were on alert Tuesday as storms headed toward areas hit by massive floods this month.

Municipal and military crews using excavators reinforced flood defenses along rivers near the central cities of Larissa and Trikala. Flooding from Storm Daniel killed 16 people in the region and caused widespread damage to property, farms and infrastructure.

As it headed eastward, the latest storm — named “Elias” — caused landslides early Tuesday and prompted authorities to close sections of a highway between Athens and the western port city of Patras.

The bad weather is expected to worsen through Thursday, affecting central Greece, the island of Evia, east of Athens, and islands in the central Aegean Sea.

Storm Daniel swept across the eastern Mediterranean in early September. It flooded 720 square kilometers (280 square miles) across Greece’s farming heartland and caused damage in neighboring Bulgaria and Turkey before reaching Libya, where two dams collapsed, and killed thousands.

Scientists say climate change is making storms like Daniel more frequent and more dangerous. Flooding in Greece was worsened by wildfires, loss of vegetation, and loose soils.