Anyone that has visited their Turkish property out of season will know that Fethiye really does know how to do a good downpour. The past 24 hours was no exception!
In the 10 years Oceanwide Properties has had an office in Fethiye we have never seen the kind of weather that we experienced yesterday.
The day started fairly dull and cloudy, nothing unusual, just the sort of day you feel like staying indoors with a cup of tea and some good telly. By mid morning the first rumbles of thunder could be heard resonating around the mountains, these were soon followed by a few heavy showers. It was mid morning when the fun really started. The havens opened and torrential rain, the type that comes down like a waterfall, was pouring onto the streets and causing havoc. Looking out of the office window, cars on the normally busy street running along the seafront promenade, had slowed down to a crawl as the road became more like a stream than a boulevard. Small fishing boats in the harbour were sinking under the volume of water falling from the skies. Those taking cover in the cafes along the front were, in some cases, helping staff brush out the water as it seeped under the entrances and into the buildings.
A call from a colleague on the mountain road in Ovacik, revealed that she was stuck in a hail storm and not moving for fear of being pelted with stones the size of marbles. Another colleague visiting a property in Fethiye town centre said that the roads around Dispanser Street, an area notorious for flooding, were impassable with the level of water in some places up to knee height. The photos from friends and on the social media sites were incredible.
“Burasi Turkiye!” (This is Turkey!).
So what happened? Did Fethiye crumble under the rainfall? Of course not. As they say here, “Burasi Turkiye!” (This is Turkey!).
Chances are, if the UK experienced such extreme weather, villages (if not entire towns), would be flooded for weeks. Us Brits know that the UK isn’t good with weather. We know that if there’s more than a week’s sunshine, there is likely to be a hosepipe ban, if there’s snow, the roads are gridlocked for days. But this is Turkey and we can do extremes. The chaos, like the rain, lasted just a couple of hours. As soon as the rain had subsided and the first hints of blue sky were spotted, the Belediye (local council) were out in their wellingtons clearing up the streets. The water did recede quickly so some of the new drainage systems around Fethiye, Ovacik and Calis do seem to be effective. It appears the council’s main problem continues to be the town centre itself, but I am sure that this will be addressed over the coming weeks. And what about the weather less than 24 hours later? Beautiful sunshine, a quiet still sea and the first smattering of snow on the mountains!
For more news and information on Fethiye or property in Turkey, please take a look at our blog or see our website www.oceanwideproperties.co.uk.
