Deadly Flooding Across Europe

Multiple storm systems have brought torrential rainfall to Europe - in Spain, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey - leading to widespread damage and sadly deadly flooding.

After a summer of wildfires, extreme flooding is impacting Greece. Coastal communities in central Greece saw brown muddy water from the streets rush into the ocean following heavy rainfall. Debris were floating through the roads and residents had to be rescued from their flooded homes. Some sought refuge on rooftops while others were carried to safety by bulldozers.

In Volos, one of the hardest hit communities, a travel ban was put into place on Wednesday to keep residents off the roadways. According to Greek media, over 21" of rain fell in just 24 hours in the region.

Heavy rain and flash flooding also hit Bulgaria's coastline, in the community of Tsarevo where power was knocked out and 3 people died in the flash floods.

And in the Turkish capital of Istanbul, deadly flooding impacted the city too on Tuesday, September 5th. People and animals had to be rescued from the floodwaters and large groups of people were trapped inside buildings. According to Reuters, there were 7 people killed in the northern part of the country. Transportation was impacted throughout the city due to the flooding.

Earlier this week intense rainfall brought widespread flooding to central Spain. Rivers overflowed their banks and streets were turned into raging torrents. Sadly, flooding in Spain was deadly too with people missing in flood waters.

Spanish officials trudged through the rivers and roadways to search cars swept away by floodwaters. A 10 year old boy was found clinging to a tree overnight to survive the flood; his father is still missing. As much as 6"+ of rain fell in just 24 hours in central Spain, overwhelming soils and leading to flooding.