Greek floods and fires expose Europe's frail climate defences

FILE PHOTO: Children's toys and books are covered in mud after Storm Elias hit the house of Vasilis Tsiamitas, 46, in Sesklo, Greece, September 29, 2023. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo

MOUZAKI, Greece (Reuters) - Dimitris Kouretas, elected governor of Greece's central province of Thessaly last month in the wake of calamitous floods, struggles to sleep at night.

The flooding in September - Greece's worst on record - devastated the fertile region, swept away agricultural land, roads and railways, and killed 16 people. It was the second major flood in three years to hit Thessaly, part of a pattern of worsening extreme weather in Europe.