Severe storms flood Bolu, Sakarya; roads closed, homes damaged

Thunderstorms struck Bolu on the evening of Oct. 12, turning the Paşaköy underpass on the D-100 highway into a lake and stranding drivers. In Mudurnu district, lightning hit a house in Karapınarkavağı village, gutting the building before fire crews contained the blaze. The same storm flooded streets in Bolu city center and disrupted the historic Göynük fair, where vendors manually drained waterlogged stalls to protect shoppers.

Two days later, Sakarya's northern districts faced extreme rainfall under a Meteorology Directorate orange alert. In Karasu, streets became rivers, sweeping away parked cars and flooding ground-floor homes. The D-650 highway between Adapazarı and Karasu was closed, trapping passengers on a public bus. AFAD, fire, and municipal teams deployed pumps and heavy machinery for rescues.

“Bu köşede araba vardı, şu an yok”

Sakarya Metropolitan Mayor Yusuf Alemdar urged residents to stay indoors and use public transport. Authorities preemptively closed schools in Karasu's Darıçayırı neighborhood on Oct. 15, citing lessons from past floods. Cleanup and damage assessments continue in both provinces.