Floods Strike Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria

Facts

• At least seven people have died and four others are missing after torrential rains inundated Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria, causing significant flooding.¹
• The storm dubbed storm 'Daniel' has meandered slowly across southeast Europe, dumping excessive rain in a 24-hour period. The system is expected to move southwest over the Mediterranean, where heavy precipitation warnings are posted through Wednesday.²
• Ali Yerlikaya, Turkey's Interior Minister, said floodwaters swept through a campsite housing 12 vacationers near the Bulgarian border. After two campers were found deceased, search and rescue operations continued for those who were unaccounted for.³
• Spain also experienced significant flooding from Daniel, and a wet, stagnant weather pattern could last into next week. Rescue operations worked to save residents from rooftops, while a 10-year-old boy in Madrid clung to a tree for eight hours while awaiting rescue.⁴
• The devastating rains and flooding come as Greece continues to battle against wildfires that ripped through the Evros region, killing at least 20 people. The country's fire service has been in active suppressing the spreading blazes and now rescuing residents from flooded homes.⁵
• Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece's Prime Minister attributed the severe weather occurrences of both the wildfires and the heavy rainfall to climate change, saying that 'the coming summers are likely to be ever more difficult.'¹

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²CNN, ³Iranpress.com, ⁴The weather channel and ⁵New York Times.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Clean energy wire. While climate change is impacting the whole world, the Mediterranean is a hotspot because it's warming at a much faster rate. The impacts are evident in the increasing wildfires and extreme weather events. A series of bad planning decisions made by previous administrations is proving to be costly to Greek people in terms of the loss of life and property. The 13 regional governments of Greece must take the initiative and chart a direct and cohesive course correction if preparation and adaptation are to be achieved.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Politico. Greece has been under fire for lagging behind in climate change action and they've now stepped up to the plate. Recognizing that previous governments have failed, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has taken drastic action to bring on a Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister, a rare role in the EU. Following several years of extreme weather events, it's the priority of the Greek government to understand climate science, mitigate impacts, and effectively respond to climate change-induced disasters.

Predictions