The phrase “biblical catastrophe” is becoming a cliché, but in the case of St. CreteUnfortunately it fits perfectly. Two days after the unprecedented downpour, as everyone describes it, the residents are trying to recover and move on to the next day.

It should be noted that this morning Head of the Prosecutor’s Office of Heraklion Thanasis Galena, urgent preliminary examination for the flood that left behind two dead.

OUR Are you happy Lekkas, president of OASP and professor of disaster management, has been in the affected area since last Saturday evening. “The phenomenon was extreme and uncertain, but the reasons why it took such a turn are not only due to the fact that it was extreme,” says the experienced professor “K” and adds: “In addition to the level of rainfall, which really could not be predicted, there were other aggravating factors. The area is completely open – narrow and with a relief that has a strong downward slope to “cover” it. In fact, there is nothing to hold water, so the rain fell directly on the village from rapidity“.

OUR TO. Lekkas he notes that in Agia Pelagia there is a lot of arbitrariness in construction, as well as in overflowing streams: “Do you know how many areas in all of Greece are similar to Agia Pelagia? Sooner or later every area with this Profilefaced with such situations.

He even emphasizes that the most aggravating factor in such disasters is a large volume of sludge is formed. “Hard materials entrained in loose soil is a key feature floods phenomena. So, you see how the dirt “swallows” cars and everything that is in front of them.

OUR TO. Lekkas he also emphasizes that the fact that extreme events occur systematically cannot be ignored. “It’s created self-perpetuating cycle that is constantly acceleratinghumiliating him geoenvironment. Therefore, we need good flood protection projects in many areas. In his case Meleviziou it turned out that this is not enough for the reasons that I have stated, but the flood protection in any case needs to be modernized.

The professor also notes that the area of ​​public information is certainly open to great improvements. “You can hear them just everything but it is not. The preparation of citizens in terms of behavior in case of weather phenomena is not yet up to par.“, he emphasizes.

“We need better armor”

The image of the area, which is struggling to get back on its feet, was also given to “K” by the mayor. Maleviziou, Menelaus bokeh.

As he describes: “All this is a sign, an image of a great catastrophe. We are still collecting all this muddy mixture of mortar and all sorts of things, but we are already better than yesterday, on Sunday. He also commented on part of the prediction of the phenomenon and whether an earlier notice could have been sent to residents on 112.

“Agia Pelagia is organized anarchically, and there are few ways to retreat. From this point of view, notification from 112 half an hour early, would hurt us and cause a panic. However, if we had been told two hours earlier that the precipitation had become elevated, we could have given an evacuation order. There couldn’t be anyone on the streets that wasn’t there. I am not a meteorologist to know if the forecast can be read in any other way. The day before the bad weather was upgraded to category 4, but again I’m not in a position to know if this is so we must be ready to evacuate. we listen too what the phenomenon was unprecedented, and indeed, that is how we experienced it.”

Finally, Oh TO. bokeh notes that the flood protection project in the area, which was actually completed last year, will not be able to respond to this amount of rainfall. As he explains: “Other, more direct target interventions, such as small waterworks – dams at the foot of the mountain, which contain transported materials, supporting the existing flood control system.