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- October 14, 202617°
- BIST10012,118-1.08%
- USD49.37+0.07%
- EUR55.21+0.01%
- GOLD4,113.50-1.53%
- INTEREST37.00%-1.00
- BITCOIN81,547-1.86%
- October 14, 202617°
Floods and storm grip Istanbul: schools shut, motorcycles banned, streets swamped
Two days of torrential rain and storms have paralyzed Istanbul. The governor’s office closed schools for Thursday, Oct. 15, and banned motorcycles from the roads. A hospital and a metro station flooded, a ship ran aground off Çatalca and traffic congestion hit 89 percent.
The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskUpdated:
Heavy rain and gales that began on Tuesday evening brought much of Istanbul to a standstill on Wednesday. Roads and underpasses in many districts went under water and homes and businesses were flooded. In Esenyurt, a woman swept away by the current was rescued at the last moment, and a ship under tow ran aground off Çatalca after its towline snapped. The Istanbul Governor’s Office responded with a series of emergency measures.
Schools closed, motorcycles off the roads
Citing heavy rain and adverse weather, the governor’s office suspended in-person classes at all public and private educational institutions for one day on Thursday, Oct. 15. Motorcycles and other two-wheeled vehicles were banned from traffic from 9 p.m. on Wednesday until further notice. Disabled, pregnant and veteran public employees, as well as female staff with children under 8, will be on administrative leave.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gül urged residents not to leave home unless necessary. People living in basements were advised to move to upper floors and stay away from stream beds and underpasses, and those without a safe place were reminded to call 112.
Up to 95 kilograms of rain per square meter
According to the municipality’s disaster coordination center AKOM, 50 to 95 kilograms of rain per square meter fell in Beykoz, Sarıyer, Eyüpsultan, Arnavutköy, Başakşehir, Sultangazi and Büyükçekmece. AKOM said rain and storms would continue until 1 p.m. on Thursday, with 40 to 70 kilograms per square meter expected in high-risk districts and 20 to 40 elsewhere, and winds of up to 50 to 80 kilometers per hour.
Hospital and metro station flooded
Water flooded Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Hospital in Sarıyer’s Çayırbaşı area, where crews began pumping it out. Rainwater poured from the ceiling at Hacıosman metro station. Streets turned into lakes in Kağıthane and Sarıyer, and roads were submerged in Eyüpsultan’s Göktürk and Kemerburgaz areas.
Earlier in the day, the retaining wall of Nurettin Uzun Primary School collapsed in Sultangazi, and a person trapped in a flooded apartment in Küçükçekmece was rescued. In Esenyurt’s Dereyolu Hürriyet neighborhood, bystanders pulled out a woman carried off by the current.
In the evening, residents trapped by floodwater in Sarıyer climbed onto the roof of a bus to escape. Some cars were submerged on the street as the water level rose.
Traffic locked at 89 percent
Municipal data showed congestion, at 72 percent in the morning, climbing to 89 percent at around 5:30 p.m. as the rain intensified again. A van skidded on the slick road at Haramidere on the D-100 and hit the Metrobus barriers. Vehicles barely moved for long periods on the bridges, the TEM motorway and the D-100.
Ship runs aground off Çatalca, ferries cancelled
An empty Liberian-flagged merchant ship being towed to İğneada drifted and ran aground near Çilingoz Nature Park off Çatalca after its towline snapped in the storm. No crew were aboard, and no fuel leak or pollution was found.
The storm also disrupted sea transport. BUDO cancelled four sailings on its Mudanya-Kabataş route, İDO called off some services, and Şehir Hatları cancelled some pier stops.
The Turkish State Meteorological Service expects heavy rain to hit Bursa, Yalova, Kocaeli and Sakarya as well as Istanbul. The governor’s office warned of the risk of flooding, lightning, landslides and transport disruption.
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