Storm paralyzes cities

Heavy southwesterly winds paralyzed transportation in the Marmara region and western part of the country Friday. The wind’s speed reached 80 kilometers per hour in Turkey's biggest city Istanbul and 100 kilometers in Çanakkale, the city which lies in the northwest of Turkey on both sides of the Dardanelles, a strait which connects the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea.

Sea traffic suspended
Ferryboat trips have been suspended due to the storm. Sea traffic has been suspended due to strong wind in Istanbul. Besides the interrupted sea traffic, streetlights and trees were toppled and building roofs were ripped because of the strong winds.

Istanbul’s historic Karaköy pier listed on Friday evening. After one of the 16 water tanks, which kept the pier balanced, was damaged because off the heavy-hitting waves, water started flooding into the lounge of the 200-square-meter pier. The pier sank later on, while the firefighters stood helpless watching the scene. Officials could rescue some computers and other valuables before the 1,200-square-meter building sank 30 meters off the coast just minutes before midnight.

There were no casualties as the area was evacuated in time. Since the ferries cannot run anymore the Üsküdar-Karaköy,Kadıköy-Karaköy and Karaköy-Haliç lines were cancelled. The passengers will use the other piers in Karaköy, Kabataş and Eminönü districts.

The storm also caused huge waves along the coasts of the Aegean region. A total of 60 people were injured by the strong winds in Bursa province in the Marmara region. The ferries will port at the tourism company Tur-Yol’s boat pier in Karaköy. Istanbul Ferries, or İDO, announced that there would be a temporary pontoon pier placed until the historic pier is renewed.

Noting that Istanbul has experienced a really bad storm this weekend, Chairman of İDO Ahmet Paksoy said, whole of İDO's ferries, piers and passengers are insured.

Karaköy pier: IDO’s only floating pier
Saying that Karaköy pier was İDO’s only floating pier, Paksoy mentioned that they were now planning the construction of a new pier and evaluating the alternatives rather than having another floating pier. The Karaköy pier wasn’t the only place damaged by the wild wind: Taksim İlkyardım Hospital’s roof flew off.

The firefighters removed the dangerous part of the roof so that it wouldn’t cause any accidents.

There were also power outages and people going to hospital after being poisoned by carbon monoxide.Gone with the wind

After the strong southwesterly winds died down Sunday, sea traffic returned to normal in the Marmara region. Cancelled ferry routes in Çanakkale, whose shores touch both Europe and Asia, started running again. The public ferry lines began operating again between Gelibolu and Lapseki, Gökçeada and Kabatepe, and Geyikli and Bozcaada.

The strong winds left their mark on a sunny weekend and caused damage to many areas in Marmara’s regional cities. While people started repairing their ruined roofs, fishermen dropped their nets into a tranquil sea early Sunday morning. As most people were recovering from the stormy weekend in Marmara, cities in the Black Sea region of Zonguldak were still under influence of the storm. Advertising panels were toppled and the city suffered a power outage. Samsun, another city in the Black Sea region, was also affected.

Gone with the wind

After the strong southwesterly winds died down Sunday, sea traffic returned to normal in the Marmara region. Cancelled ferry routes in Çanakkale, whose shores touch both Europe and Asia, started running again. The public ferry lines began operating again between Gelibolu and Lapseki, Gökçeada and Kabatepe, and Geyikli and Bozcaada.

The strong winds left their mark on a sunny weekend and caused damage to many areas in Marmara’s regional cities. While people started repairing their ruined roofs, fishermen dropped their nets into a tranquil sea early Sunday morning. As most people were recovering from the stormy weekend in Marmara, cities in the Black Sea region of Zonguldak were still under influence of the storm. Advertising panels were toppled and the city suffered a power outage. Samsun, another city in the Black Sea region, was also affected.