Catastrophic flooding caused by several days of heavy rainfall struck central Greece in September 2023. These Copernicus Sentinel-2 images show the area around the city of Larissa before, during and after the torrential rains. In the central image, the flooded areas are clearly visible in light brown, mainly along the Pineios River, that burst its banks and washed out the surrounding areas and several roads, including part of the motorway connecting Athens to Thessaloniki.
The Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service was activated to help respond to the crisis. The service uses satellite observations to help civil protection authorities and, in cases of disaster, the international humanitarian community, respond to emergencies.