Heavy rain flooded homes, workplaces and streets in Erdemli, a coastal district west of Mersin city, on Thursday morning, Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported, as the province remained under an orange warning from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
According to DHA, showers that had fallen on and off through the night intensified in the morning. Akdeniz neighbourhood was among the worst-hit areas, where many homes and shops took in water. Some vehicles broke down in standing water and drivers struggled to get through flooded roads. Crews began pumping out rainwater. One resident told the agency that belongings had been ruined and that people were waiting for help from the authorities. No injuries were reported.
İhlas News Agency (İHA) reported earlier that rain in Mersin had continued until morning after two days of intermittent showers. In Erdemli some streets were flooded, water gushed from manholes as drains struggled to cope, and creeks fed by runoff from the highland plateaus rose. AFAD, the governorship and municipalities had issued warnings of floods, flash floods and landslides, İHA said.
Update, 12:41: In central Mersin, rain that started in the morning flooded the underpass at the Hal Katlı junction in Akdeniz district, where Hüseyin Okan Merzeci Boulevard meets Turgut Özal Boulevard, and the junction was closed to traffic, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. Metropolitan municipality crews began pumping water out of the underpass, AA said. Demirören News Agency (DHA) reported that the junction was temporarily closed and that water had collected on many streets and avenues in the city centre. Neither agency reported injuries or gave a reopening time. (Sources: AA via Son Dakika, DHA via Son Dakika, Yeni Şafak.)
Silifke road closed
Further west in Silifke district, an overflowing stream closed a road in Yeşilovacık neighbourhood to traffic, İHA reported. Floodwater covered the gardens of some housing complexes, the ground floors of some houses and warehouses, while small rocks fell onto the road in Işıklı neighbourhood, making travel difficult. Teams worked through the night in the affected area, the agency said.
The same districts were hit on Wednesday, when floods affected Silifke, Taşucu and Erdemli greenhouses.
Republic Day march cancelled
Erdemli Mayor Mustafa Kara announced that the Republic Day march planned for Thursday evening had been cancelled, citing assessments from AFAD and the forecast of heavy rain, local outlet Mersin Portal reported.
In an update at 09:41, MGM warned that rainfall would be very heavy and severe in places around Mersin, eastern Antalya and western Adana, according to ANKA news agency. It cautioned against flash floods, flooding, landslides, lightning, local hail, strong gusts and the risk of waterspouts or tornadoes along the coast, as well as disruption to transport. Mersin was among the provinces placed under an orange warning for Republic Day. For more on the province, see our Mersin living guide.
Sources
- Turuncu kodlu uyarı verilen Mersin Erdemli’de sağanak (DHA via Son Dakika)
- Mersin’de şiddetli yağış sabaha kadar sürdü (İHA via Son Dakika)
- Silifke’de sel suları site bahçeleri ile depoları bastı (İHA via Son Dakika)
- Erdemli’de 29 Ekim Cumhuriyet Yürüyüşü iptal edildi (Mersin Portal)
- Meteoroloji Antalya’nın doğusu, Mersin ve Adana için şiddetli yağış uyarısı yaptı (ANKA via Son Dakika)
Photo: Zeynel Cebeci / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
