Summary

Following severe storms that struck Apokoronas between October 2 and 4, 2026, the Greek Civil Protection Secretariat has granted the municipality's request to declare seven affected areas official civil protection emergency zones. The storm caused landslides, road damage and cut off access to several villages and farming areas across Georgioupoli, Kryoneridha, Fre, Asi Gonia, Karos, Ramni and Stylos. The municipality has simultaneously submitted a request for €2.6 million in emergency funding to repair infrastructure and strengthen flood defences.

Apokoronas Storm Zones: Official Emergency Status Granted, €2.6 Million Sought

Seven areas of the Apokoronas municipality have been officially declared civil protection emergency zones following the destructive storms of October 2–4, 2026. The General Secretariat for Civil Protection approved the request submitted by Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis, marking a critical step toward unlocking state recovery funds and accelerating repair work across the region.

Which areas are covered?

The emergency declaration applies to the municipal units of Georgioupoli, Kryoneridha and Fre, and to the communities of Asi Gonia, Karos, Ramni and Stylos — all of which sustained significant damage during the three-day storm event.

What happened during the storms?

The extreme weather brought a combination of landslides, slope collapses and soil erosion across the affected areas. Local and agricultural roads were badly damaged, leaving some villages and farming zones temporarily unreachable. Bridges, flood-control structures and stormwater drainage systems also suffered serious harm.

Why does the emergency declaration matter?

Being formally recognised as a disaster zone is not merely symbolic. The status fast-tracks the administrative procedures required for damage assessment and reconstruction, and opens the door to state aid mechanisms that would otherwise be much slower to activate. Municipal crews and machinery were deployed from the very first day to clear blocked roads and address immediate hazards, while a full technical assessment of all damage continues in parallel.

€2.6 million emergency funding requested

Alongside the emergency declaration, the municipality has lodged a separate request for extraordinary financial assistance of €2.6 million. The funds are intended to cover the essential repair works and to improve flood defences in the communities hit hardest by the storms.

Mayor: "Apokoronas was put to the test"

Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis said: "From the very first moment, the municipality was on the ground. We recorded the damage, mobilised our resources and demanded the immediate support our area needs from the state. The approval of our request is an important first step — now the real work of recovery begins. Apokoronas was tested; now all of us must come together to repair the damage and make our home even safer."

The mayor also thanked the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, and the Region of Crete for their prompt response.

PRESS RELEASE – The request of the Municipality of Apokoronas has been approved – The areas affected by the extreme weather events are in a state of emergency – Immediate response of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection to the request of Mayor Charalampos Koukianakis

October 8, 2026, 7:21 AM

Following a substantiated request by the Municipality of Apokoronas, the Municipal Units of Georgioupoli, Kryoneridha and Fre, as well as the Municipal Communities of Asi Gonia, Karos, Ramni and Stylos, which were affected by the extreme weather events of the period 2 to 4 October 2026, have been declared in a state of civil protection emergency.

The decision constitutes an important development for the Municipality, as it opens the way for the faster activation of the prescribed procedures for addressing and restoring the damage.

The extreme weather events caused, in various locations, landslides, slope failures and erosion, serious damage to the municipal and agricultural road network, access problems to settlements and productive areas, as well as damage to technical structures, anti-flood works and stormwater drainage infrastructure.

From the very first moment, the municipal mechanism was in the field, with personnel and machinery operating to restore access and address immediate hazards; at the same time, the detailed recording and technical assessment of the damage is continuing.

The Municipality of Apokoronas has already also submitted a request for extraordinary financial assistance of €2,600,000, in order for the necessary restoration works and anti-flood reinforcement to proceed.

The Mayor of Apokoronas, Charalampos Koukianakis, stated:

"From the very first moment, the Municipality was present; we recorded the damage, mobilised our mechanism and requested from the State the immediate support that our area needs.

The approval of our request and the declaration of the affected areas in a state of emergency is an important first step — now the work of restoration begins. I thank the General Secretariat of Civil Protection, the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, the Region of Crete and all those who contributed to addressing the consequences.

Apokoronas was tested; now all of us must help to restore the damage and make our area even safer.

The Municipality of Apokoronas will continue to demand whatever is required, until every wound left behind by the bad weather is healed."