Heavy rainfall has caused major damages in western Greece, while the Evros region is on red alert because of flooded rivers. Other areas in Greece also suffered from the continuous downpour. Roads, bridges, houses and crops were destroyed by floods, while villages were evacuated and in some cases special police forces helped trapped citizens. Western Greece has suffered the most, with areas in the Epirus, Peloponnese and Macedonia flooding, culminating in the collapse of the historic arched bridge of Plaka in Tzoumerka by the rushing Aracthos river. The Evros region in Thrace also faces major problems as water from the heavy rains in neighboring Bulgaria has entered Ardas river and is directed towards the Evros riverbed. The rushing water tore down a piece of the border fence with Turkey, while the biggest part of the fence is now under water. The extreme weather conditions started on Friday, characterized by torrential rainfall in western, central and northern Greece, especially in Epirus, while thick snow has covered all mountainous areas. The rains and snowfall was accompanied by strong winds. Gusts of southern winds exceeded 10 Beaufort in many areas, creating significant problems in maritime transport. The southern winds carried dust from Africa that covered many regions, including Athens, all weekend long. In the Aitoloakarnania region, the municipalities of Agrinio and Thermo Amfilochias as well as the Platanos municipal units have been declared in a state of emergency. In Nafpaktos, army helicopters and navy boats were used to save people trapped in their homes. In central Greece, thousands of acres of grain were destroyed by water, manufacturing facilities and businesses flooded south of the city of Lamia. In western Fthiotida, where a torrent transferred the bulk of water from Vardousia and Evrytania, fire fighters rescued many people trapped in the village of Marmara.
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