After weeks of heavy snow and rainfall, more than 30,000 hectares of land in the Evros region of northeastern Greece were submerged under water yesterday in what has been described as the worst flooding in 40 years, reports Kathimerini.

Over 400 houses near Plovdiv and 72 homes in Lavara have been flooded.  Warehouses, roads and farmland have also disappeared under the water causing severe damage to crops and livestock.  Local farmers have reported that stables, many of which still had animals in them, have been swept away by the torrent.  Residents in the region have been fleeing from their homes as the overflowing Evros River has showed no sign of receding.

The local authorities are now frantically trying to prevent a repeat of last year in which floods in the region killed dozens and caused hundreds of millions of euros of damage.  Soldiers and rescue teams have evacuated dozens of towns after raging waters brought down embankments built to protect houses and farmland.  

Local residents have described the flooding as the worst since 1963, while officials have said that conditions have reached a critical point.  “The situation is getting worse as it goes. As the water level rises, so does our anxiety,” Lavara Mayor Evangelos Poulilios told Kathimerini.

Local Prefect Nikos Zambounidis said thousands of cubic meters of water from melting snow and heavy rainfall flowed into the Ardas and Evros rivers every hour and the situation could get worse.  "We are just hoping there won't be any human casualties," said the prefect.

Water from across the border

Heavy rainfall and melting snow have been blamed for the flooding along with the entry of massive amounts of water from neighboring Bulgaria to the north.  Bulgaria has already declared a state of emergency in 15 of its central and southern districts and closed its border with Turkey.

The Greek government asked Bulgaria on Wednesday to limit the amount of water being channeled into the country from its dams.  Government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros stressed that the government's top priority at this moment is to protect local residents and their property, while talks are underway with Bulgaria and Turkey for a more permanent solution to the problem that requires "very delicate handling."