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The district authorities in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace have been in a state of high alert for the tenth day in row due to the large-scale flooding in southern Evros where the River Maritsa flows into the Aegean Sea.

The recently published data show that about 110,000 acres along the river valley in the region of the border area of Ormenio near Ferres are flooded. At the same time, 2,160 cubic metres of water per second are falling in the river.

That is why the relevant services have focused their attention on the southern part of the region, where the River Maritsa delta is located, as stated by Deputy Governor of Evros Dimitris Petrovits for the Athens News Agency.

He added that the water level is above the critical limit. Earlier today, it was 7.10 m near the village of Petalo, 10 cm above the critical limit. It reached 6.16 m in the area of the village of Pitio, the critical level there being 5.70 m.

According to Petrovits, the civil protection services have performed auxiliary activities to alleviate the situation in the village of Poros, which is very close to the bed of the River Maritsa, and to avoid the evacuation of residents.

There are problems in the northern part of Evros, where there are leaks in places. The services have focused their efforts on putting under control the entire valley of the River Maritsa due to the risk of dike bursts.

A video by ENA Channel TV shows the evacuation of Ormenio as the River Maritsa dike near the village bursts

In addition to the swollen River Maritsa the floods in the region are due to massive rainfall. The amount of the rainwater that has fallen in the region of Alexandroupoli exceeds the normal amount for the season by more than two times. Meteorologist Thodoris Kolidas stated that in the period 10 November - 9 December, the amount of rainfall had reached 185 mm, i.e. 185 tons of water per acre, the seasonal average being 84 mm.

According to the National Weather Service, this is one of the rainiest autumns in northern Greece, and it expects December to be declared a record month in terms of rainfall.

GRReporter.info is to publish an interview with Deputy Governor of Evros Dimitris Petrovits.