Minor storm damage caused

Minor problems were caused by summer thunderstorms on Monday evening, which needed the response of the Fire Service and the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC), officials said.

Emergency teams were called out to repair local power outages, flooding or fallen trees.

Andreas Kettis, Press Officer of the Fire Service, said Tuesday that telephone calls to the Fire Service were “very few,” and they all came from the Nicosia district.

He added there were seven calls to open storm drains and move trees that fell due to the severe weather conditions, but there were no major incidents.

Christina Papadopoulou, EAC Press Officer, told CNA the tornado that occurred on Monday night in the Larnaca district caused problems in the electricity supply of Kellia village and Oroklini.

“Poles of the EAC network were uprooted, or cables were cut, causing low-voltage, i.e. localised damage,” she explained.

Papadopoulou said that Lythrodontas village outside Nicosia experienced a medium voltage fault due to a cut pole.

She added that there were low voltage failures in Strovolos and Lakatamia municipalities due to a short circuit caused by the entanglement of trees with network cables.

“From the first moment, the EAC crews rushed to immediately repair the damage, always based on the incidents’ risk.”

Damage restoration work mainly involved pruning trees and replacing stakes or burnt fuses.

All the work to restore the damage that occurred on Monday, mainly due to the strong winds, has been completed, said Papadopoulou.

“The EAC crews remain on alert to deal with anything that comes their way.”

After Monday’s summer storms, warmer temperatures have returned.