The cost of damage from the record floods in Greece’s breadbasket is estimated to be in the billions

By COSTAS KANTOURIS
Associated Press

ZAGORA, Greece (AP) — Greek officials are assessing the staggering cost of repairing the damage from record flooding and compensating residents and businesses. The storms began earlier this month and flooded 280 square miles of mostly prime farmland. The flooding totally destroyed crops, battered road and railway networks and killed tens of thousands of livestock. Greece’s finance minister says the cost could reach several billion euros. The center-right government is preparing a supplementary state budget calling for an additional 600 million euros ($638 million) to be spent this year.