The houses in Greece are hardly designed for sub-zero temperatures, hardly anyone drives on winter tires: The current onset of winter is throwing the everyday life of many Greeks upside down.
Athens – Heavy snowfalls have caused problems, especially in central and southern Greece. In many regions, the Greek civil defense sent warning text messages to residents and called on them not to leave the house if possible.
Schools remained closed. In the capital Athens, traffic collapsed in places – because it rarely snows there, hardly anyone has winter tires. The situation was also difficult on the country’s motorways, some of which had to be closed.
Athens opens heated public buildings
Many houses are not designed for the low temperatures. In such situations, the Athens city government opens public buildings that are heated for the homeless and those who cannot heat their apartments.
It is the second year in a row that Greece has struggled with heavy snowfall in winter following devastating heat waves in summer. While snow is not uncommon in the north of the country, islands like Crete and Mykonos are now also covered in snow. dpa
