Ukraine, the south of Russia and the north of Greece were particularly hit by the storm Bettina, considered the Storm of the Century in the Black Sea
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At least four deaths and more than a dozen injuries were reported along the Russian Black Sea coast, near the Greek island of Lesbos and in Ukraine, due to a powerful storm that produced strong winds, torrential rains, high waves, and heavy snow across the region from the weekend until Monday.
Three people died on Monday – one in Sochi, Russia, one on the Crimean Peninsula, and another aboard a ship in the Kerch Strait – according to Reuters. The news agency also reported the evacuation of more than 350 people and nearly 2 million people without power in southern Russia, Russian-controlled Crimea, and Ukraine.
When the storm entered the Black Sea on Sunday, its pressure dropped to 968 millibars – which is comparable to a category 2 or 3 hurricane. Its pressure dropped about 20 millibars from the previous day, nearly meeting the meteorological criteria for a “bomb cyclone,” which is a drop of 24 millibars in 24 hours. Normally, the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm.
“We have never seen waves so big before,” local residents told the media, claiming they were up to 12 meters high.
The mayor of Kassandra, Anastasia Halkia, requested the declaration of a state of emergency, as the passage of the bad weather caused enormous damage in various areas of the coastal front. “The waves reached up to 20 meters from the coast,” she added.
Halkia emphasized that there was significant damage that must be repaired immediately, especially because the area is visited by thousands of visitors every year. The State responds immediately to provide the necessary funding for the restoration of the damages, she added.
“It’s a situation that unfortunately repeats itself, as the same thing happened in 2019 and 2021 in similar extreme weather events,” Halkia told the local website voria.gr
Photo and video: Reproduction Telegram t.me/Disaster_News
