Civil Defence activated CY Alert after the Meteorological Department reported that extreme weather had spread across more than 60% of the territory, deputy spokesperson Chara Lazarou said.
Speaking on Politis radio’s Second Look programme, Lazarou also addressed complaints over missing or delayed notifications and clarified that Civil Defence has no authority to issue sailing bans.
Sailing bans outside Civil Defence remit
Asked which authority is responsible for issuing a sailing ban, Lazarou said the matter does not fall within Civil Defence’s remit.
“Regarding a sailing ban, we are not in a position to provide an answer, as this does not fall within the responsibilities of Civil Defence,” she said.
According to information provided by the Meteorological Department, Cyprus does not have a procedure equivalent to the one applied in Greece.
“Under the legislation governing our operation, we have no authority to issue sailing bans,” she added.
How the CY Alert decision was made
Lazarou said Civil Defence had remained in continuous contact with the Meteorological Department from the onset of the extreme weather.
“The phenomena began at around 10am. Throughout that period, there was constant communication with the duty forecaster at the Meteorological Department,” she said.
While the weather remained localised, the relevant authorities issued announcements and self-protection guidance.
The decision to activate CY Alert was taken after Civil Defence was informed that the weather had become widespread and was affecting more than 60% of the territory.
That information was received at around 2pm.
The deputy Civil Defence commander then contacted the Fire Chief for an update on the operational situation and calls received through the 112 emergency number. The Interior Minister was also informed.
“Based on all the information available at the time, the order was given to send the notification to the public,” Lazarou said.
Warning sent across government-controlled areas
The notification was not issued district by district but was sent throughout the government-controlled areas.
It was sent at 2.15pm because all districts were being affected by the extreme weather at the time.
Lazarou explained that even people in areas experiencing better conditions could have travelled into locations where dangerous weather was already under way.
“There were people swimming at beaches, and incidents were recorded in which people were at risk of drowning,” she added.
Services placed on alert a day earlier
Civil Defence had been placed on heightened readiness the previous day, when the yellow weather warning was upgraded to orange.
Instructions were issued to all regional commands to ensure that search and rescue teams, vehicles and equipment were ready for immediate deployment.
Three regional commands deployed
The Nicosia, Limassol and Famagusta regional commands were ultimately mobilised.
A total of 25 volunteers and six suitably equipped vehicles took part in the response.
Civil Defence teams assisted the Fire Service, mainly by pumping water from flooded premises and basements.
Fire Service required no additional support
Commenting on fallen trees reported after the severe weather, Lazarou said Civil Defence remained available to assist whenever requested.
In these cases, however, the Fire Service had sufficient operational capacity to respond using its own resources.
“The Fire Service was able to manage these incidents without requiring additional assistance from Civil Defence,” she said.
Response to CY Alert complaints
Lazarou also responded to complaints from people who said they either did not receive the CY Alert notification or received it late.
She stressed that mobile phone software should be kept up to date.
“In cases of national emergency, as in this instance, CY Alert notifications are mandatory and cannot be disabled,” she said.
She added that this is why the specific communication channel is used, to help ensure that emergency notifications reach the public.
