Severe Storms Batter Greek Islands for a Second Day, with Crete Hardest Hit

An aerial photograph taken by a drone shows the port of Naousa, after a powerful storm which has triggered widespread flooding on the Aegean Sea island of Paros, Greece, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP)
An aerial photograph taken by a drone shows the port of Naousa, after a powerful storm which has triggered widespread flooding on the Aegean Sea island of Paros, Greece, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP)
TT
20

Severe Storms Batter Greek Islands for a Second Day, with Crete Hardest Hit

An aerial photograph taken by a drone shows the port of Naousa, after a powerful storm which has triggered widespread flooding on the Aegean Sea island of Paros, Greece, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP)
An aerial photograph taken by a drone shows the port of Naousa, after a powerful storm which has triggered widespread flooding on the Aegean Sea island of Paros, Greece, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP)

Severe storms battered islands in Greece for a second day Tuesday, with Crete experiencing the heaviest rainfall. Authorities on Paros and Mykonos, meanwhile, worked to clear overturned cars and debris following hailstorms and torrential downpours.

On Monday, storms in Paros sent cars floating into the sea and flooded homes and businesses with water and mud. Authorities have requested emergency government assistance to address road and infrastructure damage. Nearby Mykonos also endured hailstorms and powerful winds.

Rescue crews on Crete assisted seven people in vehicles trapped by floodwaters while rockslides and road closures were reported on the island after the storm overnight pushed toward the southeast. The highest rainfall in the previous 24 hours through Tuesday afternoon was recorded near the Cretan port of Chania, according National Observatory of Athens.

Rhodes faced gale-force winds that toppled trees and damaged vehicles.

Schools were closed across multiple islands, and the storms halted or disrupted ferry services.

The severe weather primarily impacted islands in the Cyclades chain in the central Aegean, a popular vacation destination known for its beaches and whitewashed houses.

The storms struck just weeks after a rare earthquake swarm forced thousands to flee Santorini and the nearby islands of Ios, Amorgos, and Anafi.



Tiny Caribbean Territory Offers Cash, Plane Tickets and a Hotel Stay to Fight Brain Drain

An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
TT
20

Tiny Caribbean Territory Offers Cash, Plane Tickets and a Hotel Stay to Fight Brain Drain

An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)
An airplane approaches the island of St. Maarten. (AFP file)

The Dutch Caribbean territory of St. Maarten is offering cash, plane tickets and an extended hotel stay to attract professionals and students back home.

Prime Minister Luc Mercelina announced this week that married couples would get $2,000 and single people $1,100 for a relocation allowance, as well as economy-class plane tickets, a six-week stay at a hotel and large containers to transport their belongings.

Families also would get $140 per child, he said Wednesday evening.

Mercelina also said the government would offer a salary adjustment allowance in certain cases and help cover a portion of student loans for those who move back to the territory.

The offers aim to reduce a shortage of skilled professionals on St. Maarten, a territory of some 46,000 people with a net migration rate of 5.7 migrants per 1,000 persons, ranking 16th worldwide.