Torrential rains have hit central Greece again, causing flooding to hit the town of Volos just three weeks after Cyclone Daniel killed 16 people in the country, Reuters reported.

More than 250 people were evacuated from the area after Storm Elias hit on Wednesday afternoon, Greece’s fire brigade said today, adding that it had so far received 1,200 calls for help.

The storm hit Volos with such heavy rain that the water level in the city and its suburbs rose rapidly in just a few hours.

The flood worsened due to overflowing of a nearby watercourse.

The mayor of Volos said on Wednesday evening that 80% of the city was left without power due to power outages caused by the storm and floods, and authorities banned the movement of cars.

“People can’t stand it anymore. They cannot understand the fury of nature. Protect yourself,” Mayor Achilleas Beos told residents, urging them to stay at home.

The storm moved toward the island of Evia on Thursday morning, according to firefighters, who had already ordered the evacuation of some villages there.

A record level of precipitation fell in Greece this month

Storm Elias is the second major storm to hit the area after Cyclone Danielle, which brought Greece in early September rainfall not seen since weather records began in 1930.

Many residents of Volos told local media that authorities were unprepared for another wave of flooding as they were still dealing with rainfall from earlier in the month.

“It was foreseen. They (the authorities) did not do their job properly,” accuses 70-year-old pensioner Yannis Gavanoudis.

Cyclone Daniel turned central Greece into a huge lake, flooding homes, damaging road infrastructure and farms near Volos, Karditsa and Larissa.

Tens of thousands of animals have drowned and crops have been washed away, making residents here worry about tomorrow.

Cyclone Daniel was also felt in the wider Mediterranean basin, moving from Greece to Libya, where it caused the deadliest floods of the 21st century.