Heavy rains hit western Türkiye, disrupt daily life in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Some districts of the metropolitan city of Istanbul have been lashed by heavy rains battering western provinces of Türkiye, with Istanbul’s Esenyurt district bearing the brunt.

Following the torrential rain warnings issued for 11 provinces, including Istanbul, the expected rain hit the metropolitan city on Aug. 25.

While streets and some houses in the Esenyurt district were flooded following a heavy downpour that started on the European side in the morning, vehicles were stuck on the roads.

A child who was caught in the stream while trying to cross a road on a slope that was flooded after the rain was rescued by a person nearby.

Some unprepared citizens in Kartal and Beyoğlu districts were caught in the torrential rains, sheltering themselves under the roofs or overhangs.

The rain will continue on Aug. 26, according to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who urged citizens to be careful and cautious.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), which issued a torrential rain warning for 11 provinces on Aug. 23, stated that rains will continue until the end of the week in Istanbul, warning citizens to be careful and take precautions against the possibilities of floods, lightning and tornado.

Also thunderstorms pounded the western province of İzmir’s Bornova and Bayraklı districts, where some drivers pulled their vehicles to the side of the road and had to wait for the downpour to stop.

Furthermore, due to the heavy rain and storms in the northwestern province of Yalova, the trees fell and the roofs were blown away as a house was flooded in the Çınarcık district.

With the heavy rain in the northwestern province of Bilecik, where AFAD declared a “yellow alert” warning, puddles formed on the roads. Some houses and businesses were flooded, while power outages occurred in some neighborhoods due to the rain.

AFAD sent necessary notifications to the governor’s offices in the provinces where heavy rainfall is expected, asking them to keep vehicles, construction equipment and personnel that may be needed in an adverse situation ready, and prepare a response plan.

According to the latest weather report of the Turkish State Meteorological Service, torrential rains are likely to stay for two more days across the country, especially in the Aegean and Marmara regions.

Meanwhile, the air temperatures will be above the seasonal norms in the northern and inner parts of the country and below the seasonal norms on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, according to the bureau.