Heavy rain and storm-force winds overnight flooded greenhouses, streets and some homes in Kaş, Kumluca and Finike, three districts on Antalya’s western coast, local media reported early on Tuesday. The damage came on the same night as a tornado in the city’s Kepez district.
Streams and irrigation canals overflowed in the three districts, flooding several neighbourhoods and streets, according to reports carried by Haberler.com, Son Mühür and Yeni Akit. Some roads were closed, and some houses and roads were damaged. Akdeniz Gerçek reported that the rain began on Monday evening in Kaş and Kumluca before moving east towards the city centre. No injuries were reported in the three districts.
Greenhouses take the worst of it
Greenhouses were hit hardest. Floodwater covered growing areas, and the wind tore plastic covers off greenhouses, damaging vegetable and citrus crops. Kumluca and Finike are among Türkiye’s best-known greenhouse farming areas, growing vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers for the winter market.
Teams from the provincial agriculture directorate began surveying fields to work out the cost of the damage, which had not been announced by Tuesday morning. Municipal crews, AFAD (Türkiye’s disaster and emergency management authority) and other teams pumped out water, reopened closed roads and cleaned up flooded homes.
Earlier in the night, a tornado tore apart two worker containers at a construction site in Kepez, killing four workers. Officials and national media were still giving the toll as four dead and one injured on Tuesday morning.
Warnings still in force on Tuesday
The Antalya Governor’s Office has a heavy rain warning in place for all of Tuesday, with 21-50 kg/m² of rain expected in the centre and on the western coasts and 51-75 kg/m² in the east. It warned of flash floods, hail, lightning and strong winds. No school closures had been announced in Antalya by Tuesday morning.
Next door in Muğla, the regional meteorology directorate expects 76-100 kg/m² or more in Fethiye, Marmaris, Dalaman, Datça, Köyceğiz, Ortaca and Seydikemer until 23:59 on Tuesday. No school closures had been announced there either.
Residents of the Lycian coast should avoid stream beds, underpasses and low-lying roads while the warnings last, and check the AFAD and governor’s office accounts before travelling. Our guide to living in Kaş and Kalkan has more on local services.
Sources
- Antalya’yı yağış ve fırtına vurdu! Görüntüler korkunç (Haberler.com)
- Antalya’da fırtına ve sel felaketi! Tarım alanları zarar gördü (Son Mühür)
- Antalya’da gece sağanak ve fırtına: Seralar ve yollar su altında kaldı (Yeni Akit)
- Sel Riski Kapıda! Antalya’da Kuvvetli Yağış Başladı (Akdeniz Gerçek)
- Muğla’da yedi ilçede kuvvetli yağış uyarısı (Aksiyon)
Photo: My_another_account (talk) (Uploads) / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
