“The danger is extreme”: two weeks after deadly floods hit southeastern Spain, the country’s national meteorological agency (Aemet) has placed coastal areas of Valencia on red alert due to renewed heavy rainfall.
“Avoid all travel. There may be flash flooding and overflow of streams,” Aemet warned. The red alert was activated at 9:00 pm yesterday (local time) and will remain in place until 12:00 pm today.
Aemet forecasts that up to 180 millimetres of rain could fall within a 12-hour period in coastal regions of Valencia. As a result, authorities have imposed travel restrictions, and classes have been suspended today in over 100 communities. These include some of the areas devastated by the floods on 29 October, which claimed at least 223 lives.
Travel is permitted only for “urgent reasons,” said Valencia’s regional leader, Carlos Mazon, who has faced harsh criticism for the inadequate response and chaotic management of the previous floods. These emergency measures are “to ensure the safety of citizens,” he added.
The torrential rainfall has halted train services between Barcelona and Valencia, while the resumption of routes between Madrid and Valencia, scheduled for this morning, has also been postponed, the Spanish Ministry of Transport announced.
Red alerts indicate that “exceptionally intense” meteorological events are expected, posing “extremely high levels of risk to citizens,” Aemet explained.
Due to this renewed “cold drop” – an isolated low-pressure weather phenomenon common in autumn along Spain’s Mediterranean coast – Aemet has also placed Malaga in Andalusia on red alert until 9:00 am today.
“Malaga is at a standstill today,” said Andalusian President Juan Manuel Moreno during a visit to Seville. “It’s better to be safe than sorry; we saw what happened in Valencia,” he stressed.
In Seville, several roads have flooded, the metro service has been suspended, numerous flights have been cancelled or rerouted, and train connections with Madrid have been cut. More than 4,200 people have been evacuated as a “precautionary measure.”
Meanwhile, the red alert issued yesterday for Tarragona (in Catalonia) has been downgraded to orange.
In Paiporta, the epicentre of the 29 October tragedy, residents were seen yesterday building makeshift barriers with sandbags in front of their homes, fearing the sewers, still clogged with mud, could overflow again.
In precaution, many municipalities in the region asked thousands of volunteers who have been helping residents clear roads not to come to affected areas yesterday.
Furthermore, several warning messages were sent to the mobile phones of residents in areas expecting intense rainfall, following criticism of Valencia’s authorities for delays in sending such alerts during the 29 October floods.
Also read: Endless tragedy in Spain – death toll rises to 217 from floods
