Overflow of the Orihuela River. Photo: Manuel Lorenzo (EFE)
The rains and the wind that are affecting the entire southeast of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands is causing numerous damages. Among those damages we find river overflows, destruction of materials and flooding in homes, closing of schools and roads and worst of all, two deaths.
This storm will begin to subside and retreat tomorrow on the Iberian Peninsula, but it remains in the Balearic Islands and some parts of Catalonia. For more detailed information on the impact of other storms in Spain, you can consult the Elpida storm.
Flooded houses. Photo: Monica Torres
The deaths have occurred in Murcia and Alicante. In the case of Murcia, the body of a 40-year-old man was swept away by the current to a home in Los Alcázares. This happened last Saturday when an elderly man was pushed by the force of the waters into Finestrat Cove. You can read more about flooding in similar situations at Torrevieja.
As for overflows, we find that of the Segura River as it passes through Orihuela in Alicante and the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation has decided to begin releases of dams in the Bellús and Beniarrés reservoirs to alleviate the rise in flow, as has been done in the Bruno storm.
Damage caused in Murcia
In order to assess the damage caused by the storm, the president of Murcia, Pedro Antonio Sánchez, has directed a coordination meeting of all emergency personnel to be able to quantify them. The meeting was also attended by the Government delegate, Antonio Sánchez-Solís.
In addition to the meeting, the interior ministerJuan Ignacio Zoido traveled to Murcia to visit all the most affected areas and mobilized the personnel responsible for emergency, security, and relief efforts. This type of resource mobilization has also been observed during the .
The Ministry of Defense has deployed a new battalion of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) who will assist the 160 troops deployed at dawn in Los Alcázares. The new battalion consists of about fifty troops, similar to what has been seen in other states of emergency.
Overflow of the Rio Clariano. Photo: Juan Carlos Cárdenas (EFE)
The rains were so strong that in In a single day, 57% of all the rain that has fallen in a year has fallen. This has caused flooding on 19 roads in the Murcia municipalities of Cartagena, Torre Pacheco, San Javier, San Pedro del Pinatar, Águilas and Mazarrón. It has also forced the closure of hospitals in almost the entire region, as well as colleges and institutes in 28 municipalities and the three universities. In order to treat the people affected by the floods, the Infanta Elena High Performance Center, The Red Cross has installed a shelter for some 200 people evacuated from their homes in Los Alcázares. To better understand how these floods can affect infrastructure, you can read about Storm in El Ejido.
Red Cross volunteering. Photo: Manuel Lorenzo (EFE)
Damage caused in Valencia and the Balearic Islands
The provinces of Alicante and Valencia are still at certain risk and that is why 14 roads remain cut off by the flood. further some 129 municipalities have suspended classes as well as the four campuses of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche. Details of this storm can be found in the article by the rainy season in Spain.
In Valencia, the Clariano River has burst its banks, flooding several homes in the town of Ontinyent, forcing them to be evacuated. The Magro River, a tributary of the Júcar River, has experienced significant flooding as it passes through Real, Montroy, and Alcudia. Reports of similar disruptions have been seen in the .
Floods in garages. Photo: Morell (EFE)
On the other hand, in the Balearic Islands, the Emergency Service it has attended 148 incidents in just 12 hours. None of the incidents were very serious, but they were serious enough to also cancel classes today and tomorrow in 17 municipalities due to traffic difficulties. These types of incidents are reminiscent of other storms, such as the one in storm Bruno in Spain.
The risk is not over yet
The risk of flooding and heavy rains persists in Alicante and Valencia. According to the State Meteorological Agency, the red alert for rain remains in effect, and the orange alert for strong winds and waves of more than four meters along the coast. The current situation requires continued attention, as demonstrated by the response to the recent .
The president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig, has announced that his Government will approve measures this Friday to alleviate the damage caused by this storm and by that of the past 27 and 28 November.
Fortunately, starting tomorrow, this storm will ease in the southeast of the peninsula, although heavy rains will continue in the Balearic Islands (especially Mallorca and Menorca) as well as in northeastern Catalonia.
