Greek Government to Send Aid to Flood-Stricken Areas

On Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the first package of relief measures for the flood-stricken in central Greece, as the death toll increased to 15.

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"The State will stand by the side of people with no delays," Mitsotakis said during his second visit to Thessaly region within three days.

Procedures for the support of households and businesses will start on Monday and people who saw their homes, farms or fields submerged in mud waters will immediately receive financial aid to cover urgent needs. Further compensations and funding to restore their properties and rebuild destroyed infrastructure will follow.

The storm dubbed "Daniel" which swept Greece from Monday and hit hard Thessaly for two days, receded on Thursday evening. Entire villages in some areas can be approached only by boats and helicopters, and dozens of people receive food, water and medicines by drones.

A total of 4,486 people have been evacuated to safety since Tuesday, the Fire Brigade said on Sunday evening. More than 70,000 hectares of land were submerged by water and mud, according to estimates of the National Observatory of Athens.

With thousands of farm animals drowned, the protection of public health is a top priority, Mitsotakis said. Authorities advised people to drink only bottled water and avoid contacting dead animals, as crews have started removing them.

A large part of cultivations of the Thessaly plain, which is a key agricultural production area for Greece, was also washed away. According to experts and local producers, it will take up to five years to get back to normalcy and grow produce in fertile soil again.