The Municipality of Athens has announced the opening of two shelters for the homeless from Tuesday evening which will provide heated indoor spaces, blankets and meals while the bad weather lasts.
Meanwhile teams from the Athens Municipality Reception and Hospitality Sector's "Street Work" project will patrol the streets of the city day and night to locate homeless people and inform them about the shelters, as well as offering hot drinks, food and blankets.
The welcome announcement comes as Greece continues to be battered by bad weather conditions as gale-force winds on Wednesday have docked ships for the Cyclades, Dodecanese and Eastern Aegean Islands at the main Greek port of Piraeus.
The sailing of 'Knossos Palace" from Piraeus to Iraklio and Chania on Crete, initially cleared, is cancelled, authorities said on Wednesday evening.
Gale-force winds are registering at many Aegean islands, due to the 'Diomedes' weather front that also brought snowfall in northern Greece and south to the mountains of Attica.
Schedules in central Greece and northern Greece have also have been suspended: Agia Marina-Nea Stira, Kavala-Prinos (on Thassos island), and Alexandroupoli-Samothraki island are not running.
According to the National Meteorological Service, the force of the southeasterly winds in the Aegean Sea is registering 8 and 9 on the Beaufort scale, but the weather is expected to improve on Thursday.
Homeless Hotline
The phone line 210-5246515, where the public can call to report homeless people in need of assistance will operate on a 24-hour basis. Reports can also be made to the phone line 1595 and 210-5277000.
