Migrants staying in tents at Moria camp to be moved as severe weather approaches

As a freak storm dubbed Zorbas makes its way across eastern Greece and the Aegean Sea on Saturday evening, authorities in the northern Aegean were making plans for moving thousands of asylum seekers into more suitable shelter.

Regional Governor Christiana Kalogirou told Skai TV on Saturday that there are around 4,500 migrants staying in tents and makeshift shelters in and around the woefully overcrowded Moria processing center on the island of Lesvos that are inadequate to provide shelter against the powerful winds and downpours that the Mediterranean cyclone has brought to other parts of the country.

Zorbas is expected to reach the north and eastern Aegean in the early hours of Sunday, while it will also affect the island of Crete.

The military is responsible for the Moria camp and will be carrying out the transfers to more weather-proof facilities. It was not clear when the operation would take place or where the migrants would be moved to.

In the meantime, the northern Peloponnese town of Argos was struggling with serious flooding on Saturday evening after two rivers broke their banks as a result of the storm, which dumped more than 110 cm of rain and caused damage in many parts of the peninsula, while also creating problems in Attica.