Flooding death toll in Greece comes to 132 in 20 years

More than 380 floods were recorded in Greece between 2000 and 2020, which cost 132 lives – 38 in Attica alone.

Indeed, Attica was affected in 30% of these cases, according to Meteo, the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens.

The urbanized and built-up environment of Attica, Meteo researchers said, is particularly vulnerable to floods from heavy rainfall.

Most floods (73 out of 112 or 65%) were recorded in Athens, Piraeus and the suburbs, while 27 (24%) affected areas in East Attica, and 12 (11%) parts of West Attica.

The autumn months, starting with November, were the most catastrophic, as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are particularly frequent at this time of year.

The flood in Mandra in November 2017, in which 24 people lost their lives, was the deadliest in this 20-year period.