Storms and floods batter north (Update 2)

Inclement weather caused chaos in the north on Tuesday night, with heavy rain and storms causing flooding and landslides across the island’s northern third.

Particularly heavy rain fell in the island’s northwest corner, where villages were flooded, and torrents of water flowed through the streets after the Panagra reservoir overflowed, sending its excess water to the surrounding villages.

Six people were rescued from their house in the village of Orga, north of Kormakitis, after the village flooded and left them trapped.

In Livera, one vehicle was swept away by the rushing water, and its occupant was saved by civil defence teams.

All seven rescued were taken to Kyrenia’s Dr Akcicek hospital for treatment.

In Trikomo’s Long Beach area on Tuesday evening, two portacabins housing construction workers were blown off their mountings due to high winds.

As a result, four people were taken to the north’s Famagusta state hospital.

Later, local police warned people that “under no circumstances” should they be making journeys to the area around Panagra.

On Wednesday afternoon, ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel confirmed that those in the Panagra area whose homes had been flooded had been transferred to the youth camp in Lapithos.

“We will meet all their needs and ensure that they return to their homes after they are taken care of,” he said.

Earlier, he had confirmed that the ‘government’ had set up crisis desks to manage the situation and confirmed that there had been no loss of life so far as a result of the weather.

Speaking to CyBC radio, Kormakitis’ Maronite mukhtar Valentinos Koumetou said roads had been flooded with gushing water and at least seven houses inhabited by elderly residents had suffered severe damage or been evacuated.

“Luckily younger residents who have moved to the village were at hand to assist the elderly,” he said. “I have not witnessed such a phenomenon in over 60 years.”

Later in the morning, Panagra mukhtar Bayram Avci told newspaper Kibris that 12 or 13 houses in his village were damaged by the flood and that 13 or 14 vehicles had been submerged in flood water.

He added that between 8 million TL and 10 million TL (€243,400 and €304,250) worth of damage had been done to farmland in the area.

He also criticised the authorities for “not coming to the region,” saying Unal Ustel “did not even get out of his car”, while ‘agriculture minister’ Huseyin Cavus “was putting on a show with two or three newspapers.”

Roads closed included the road between Orga and Livera, which closed due to landslides, falling rocks, and ice on the roads.

In the east of the island, the road between Lefkoniko and Miliia in the Famagusta district, which flooded, was also closed, as was the road between Arnadi and Ayios Sergios, due to fallen trees.

The road between Maratha and Sandalaris also flooded and was closed, and the road into Ayios Amvrosios was closed after it partially collapsed due to a landslide.

The north’s cabinet had therefore ordered that civil defence, fire brigade, and municipal personnel in the Kyrenia district would be on duty 24 hours a day and school report card distribution would be suspended at all schools in the Kyrenia district, as well as at Akanthou’s primary school.

Additionally, the north’s meteorological department said winds as strong as eight on the Beaufort scale would blow over the sea north of the island until midnight on Wednesday.

In addition, a minor earthquake, measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale, was detected on Tuesday evening north of Kyrenia.

Late on Tuesday evening, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz conveyed his “best wishes” to “our brothers who have been affected by the flood disaster which occurred due to rains in the Famagusta, Trikomo, and Kyrenia regions.”

“We stand with our brothers and sisters in the TRNC with all our means. May God protect us from all kinds of disasters,” he said.