After the unprecedented evacuation of students from a flooded school in western Athens, authorities decided to close all schools in region of Attica including Athens, Piraeus and suburbs on Friday, October 15, 2021, as stormy weather front Ballos is forecast to intensify. Afternoon and evening schools in the same areas will be closed already today, Thursday.
The decision for the schools closure was taken by the regional governor of Attica, Giorgos Patoulis, as a “precautionary measure for the students’ safety.”
The decision comes a few hours after pictures of an elementary school evacuation in Nea Philadelphia, western Athens, flooded the Greek internet, with media speaking of “shame.”
When the school yard was flooded on Thursday noon and muddy rainwater started to enter the classroom, teachers moved the desks outside and “built” a bridge so that pupils can walk to safety and go home with their parents who had fathered outside.
According to state-broadcaster ERT it is not the first time that specific school facility gets flooded as it is built a bit below the surface.
In a video, a teacher is seen to carry a kindergarten child in his arms throught the flooded courtyard and in safety.
Another elementary school in western Athens suburb of Nea Ionia was flooded, 902 FM reported.
The regional authorities advised all citizens to avoid unnecessary travel during the severe weather and to take protection measures.
Athens and Attica have been severely hit by the bad weather front Ballos.
