Severe storms battered Istanbul on Saturday, causing severe flash flooding that submerged streets and roads, causing chaos and leaving numerous drivers stranded. Although the rain disrupted transport on both the European and Asian sides of the Turkish metropolis, fortunately there were no casualties.
Following weather warnings issued by the Disaster Management Agency (AKOM), the heavy rain affected numerous districts across the city. The rainfall continued intermittently, though heavily, for much of the day; and although in many areas the heaviest downpours lasted less than an hour, they were enough to overwhelm the drainage system, flood homes and businesses, and bring traffic to a standstill. On a positive note, the storm caused temperatures to drop to around 27 degrees, bringing relief from the heatwave that had been battering Istanbul and other parts of Turkey.
The rain began early on Saturday morning and took Istanbul residents by surprise, with many seeking shelter in markets and at bus stops. Many vehicles struggled to make their way through the waterlogged streets, whilst shops in basements and underpasses suffered flooding.
The European side of the city was hit hardest by the storm, particularly the districts of Beşiktaş, Şişli, Kağıthane, Sultangazi, Fatih and Bakırköy, whilst on the Asian side the heavy rainfall also hit the districts of Ümraniye, Çekmeköy, Kadıköy, Beykoz and Üsküdar particularly hard. In Beyoğlu, the rain turned Meclis-i Mebusan Street into a veritable lake, seriously hampering the movement of vehicles and pedestrians and affecting both residents and many tourists.
Flooded streets and people trapped
In the Eskişehir neighbourhood, in the European district of Şişli, a tree fell onto two parked cars without causing any injuries, although both vehicles were damaged, according to the DHA news agency. Furthermore, an underpass in the Zincirlikuyu neighbourhood was completely flooded and several vehicles were trapped.
In the Çağlayan neighbourhood, in the European district of Kağıthane, several cars were partially submerged, and numerous homes and shops were also flooded. Some residents were even trapped in their homes, unable to get out onto the street, whilst others, more daring, tried to make their way through the streets with the water up to their waists. Similar scenes were repeated at various points across the district, where overflowing drains caused significant flooding.
The Turkish press reported, however, that one of the most tense moments occurred in the Halide Edip Adıvar neighbourhood, in Şişli, where a taxi was trapped after being rapidly surrounded by water, which rose to almost the height of the window. The taxi driver managed to get out of the vehicle, with the water reaching up to his chest, and was eventually rescued by the local emergency services.
The flooding in Istanbul even affected the Grand Bazaar, where water seeped into several areas of the historic market, forcing traders to take action to prevent their shops from being flooded. According to AKOM, yesterday’s storms left between 40 and 57 litres of rain per square metre in some parts of the city in just 45 minutes: an extraordinary volume that overwhelmed the capacity of the sewerage system. A total of 5,772 personnel and 2,035 municipal vehicles had to be mobilised to respond to hundreds of emergency calls; however, despite the extensive material damage, local authorities reported that there were no serious injuries or fatalities.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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