Turkish Antalya drowned in unprecedented rains

“Getting ready for a walk – grab flippers”

A heavy downpour hit Antalya. Terrible footage of cars rushing in the stream is published on social networks, greenhouses are heavily flooded, which means that people will be left without a crop. About what is happening in Turkey, “MK” talked with local residents.

The drizzle that had begun the night before turned into an almost tropical downpour in a second. It began at about six in the evening and continued with varying intensity until late at night. “When I went outside to throw out the garbage, I was soaked to the skin in a second. The whole street turned into a huge puddle, and it was impossible to walk through without plunging into ankle-deep water, ”Elizaveta, an Antalya resident, told MK. According to her, the electricity went out in the house every now and then. True, I had to sit without light for no more than five minutes.

It rained a little in the morning, but by noon the sky was clear. The central streets of Antalya are practically dry, but the lawn and deep sections of the road are partially “drowned”.

Less fortunate were the western borders of the region. The cities of Kumluca and Finike are located a hundred kilometers from Antalya. In telegram chats, residents publish footage of the consequences of the night flood – the roads turned into wet, dirty slush. “If someone was going to work out on the horizontal bars, then grab the fins,” writes Finike resident Karina. On the frames published by the girl, the place of the sports ground is more like a pool. Downpours “painted” the sea brown.

In Kumluca the situation is similar. There are places that can only be crossed by swimming, other sections do not speak of a night accident at all – the roads are completely dry. “Now we were driving along the private sector. Local people sit by the road and look at their greenhouses. Everything is in the water, people are carrying things, and the water is above the knees. They were left without a harvest and without funds, ”writes a resident of Rimma in a group dedicated to the city’s news.

On the mobile phones of citizens living in the place of the flood, warnings came: “Do not leave the house” and generally go out into the street. Municipal services worked all night in Kumluca and Finike, AFAD support was requested — Office for the Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters and Emergencies.

Schools have been canceled in both cities. “We haven’t seen a situation like this in about 50 years,” — said Kumluca Mayor Mustafa Koleoglu. Forecasters predict heavy rains in the region until December 16.