The CY Alert was only sent when storms covered over 60% of the country

The CY Alert for severe weather on August 29th was triggered when hazardous conditions began to cover over 60% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. The Civil Defense explained that the situation had previously been localized and responded with safety announcements and recommendations.

An emergency message was sent at 2:15 PM to residents of the entire free part of the island. Civil Defense emphasizes that it does not have the authority to impose a ban on vessels from sailing.

Why did the CY Alert appear at 2:15 PM?

According to Deputy Civil Defense Spokesperson Chara Lazarou, the violent events began around 10:00 a.m. Emergency services remained in constant contact with the on-duty weather forecaster.

At around 2:00 p.m., the Meteorology Department reported that the storms had ceased to be local in nature and were now spreading over 60% of the territory.

After consultations with the fire brigade command and the Minister of Interior, the decision was made to send a CY Alert. The message was sent to phones around 14:15.

It was not sent separately to individual districts because at that point dangerous conditions affected all regions.

CHECK ALSO
Weather warning and course of violent phenomena on August 29:
https://cyprnews.pl/pomaranczowy-alert-pogodowy-silne-burze-grad-i-do-70-mm-deszczu-na-godzine/

Civil Defense cannot prohibit sailing to sea

Lazarou also addressed questions about the possibility of introducing a ban on vessels sailing.

As she emphasized, Civil Defense does not have such competences.

She also pointed out that Cyprus does not have the same mechanism as Greece, where formal bans on the departure of ferries and other vessels are issued in certain weather conditions.

Didn't receive a CY Alert? Check your phone.

After the storms, some residents reported that they received the message late or not at all.

Civil Defense recommends that the telephone should have up-to-date softwareFor nationwide alerts, CY Alert messages are mandatory and, according to Lazarou, the user cannot disable them.

During Saturday's operation, Civil Defense forces in Nicosia, Limassol, and Famagusta were activated. Twenty-five volunteers and six vehicles participated in the operation, primarily pumping water from flooded buildings.

Source: Politis, Civil Defence of the Republic of Cyprus