Weather update: The torrential rains over the past few hours from the DANA storm have caused significant property damage and power cuts, especially in the coastal areas of the Levante, Mallorca. On Thursday, another weather alert will apply for 13 regions.
Code orange stands for significant risk and applies to the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Aragon and Navarre. The president of the Castilla-La Mancha region, Emiliano García-Page, wants his region declared a catastrophic zone as many places have been hit by the storm.
On Wednesday evening, the 4,400 residents of the city of Iniesta in Cuenca had to be evacuated as a waterspout raised the water level to 1 metre at some points. The storm there is already the strongest of recent years.
In Toledo, work is still underway on the opening of the TO-23 towards Polígono, where buildings have been flooded. the electricity supply has also been cut off. The Valle highway is still closed due to the risk of landslides in the southern part.
More than 80 people are still evacuated in the Tarragona region of Montsià, according to civil protection officials. The evictions were necessary, although the neighbours were initially advised not to leave their homes. In Alcanar, the worst affected city, 58 people remain in the Carlos III hotel, another five in Montecarlo and 14 in the municipal pavilion.
Flood alert in Catalonia
In Catalonia, the civil protection is maintaining the emergency plan as floods hit the areas of Montsià and Bajo Ebro. Residents are requested not to move or to enter parking garages or basements. Advice is to stay on upper floors.
Meteocat emphasises that on Wednesday 252 l/m2 fell in three hours on Alcanar, which is more than half of the rainfall for a whole year. Meanwhile, in Sant Carles de la Ràpita 142 l/m2 fell and in Ulldecona, just 9 kilometres from Alcanar, 60 l/m2.
Over the course of Thursday, the downpours could spread towards Lleida, Ponent, the Pyrenees and the western Pre-Pyrenees. They will cause difficulties, especially in areas where the land is already saturated by accumulated water.
In the past few hours, seven power outages affected 6,688 people. Electric utility Endesa reported it has restored electricity supplies in Tortosa and the Ebro Delta, but continues to experience power outages in other cities. More than 200 subscribers are affected.
A large stain has formed in the mouth of the port of Alcanar. The Coast Guard is putting up barriers to keep it within the port. The stain does not smell of hydrocarbon and it is not yet known which substance it is.
The N-340 between Amposta and Alcanar and the TV-3316 in Alcanar remain cut off. On the other hand, the railway line R-16, which was cut between l’Aldea and Tortosa, is back in service.
Two German women died in Mallorca
In the Balearic Islands, a young German tourist drowned in Cala Mandia near Manacor and another died hours later after being hospitalised in critical condition. The two German women (age 23 and 25) had gone swimming in the high waves caused at sunrise. Four other people were rescued from the sea.
In the Valencian city of Charco de Catarroja, two people had to be rescued after a ‘falla’ (large doll on the occasion of the Falla celebrations) fell over. During the night, several of those dolls collapsed in Sagunto, while in the city of Valencia, damage was done to numerous important fallas.
Traffic is moving again on all highways in Valencia. The metro in the city is also working again. Only the train traffic between Vinar`s (Castellón) and Tarragona is still at a standstill.
In Murcia, 40 litres per square meter fell between 9 and 9:30 this morning in the town of Águilas. It caused flooding in the boulevards and streets. The road connection with Lorca has already been restored. No personal accidents have been recorded. However, according to RTVE on Twitter, there have been many reports of flooded garages and damaged vehicles.
Four autonomous regions on orange alert
A warning of rain and storms was issued on Thursday in 13 autonomous communities, sometimes accompanied by hail. The Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Aragon and Navarra are on orange (significant risk).
According to Aemet, rainfall of 40 litres per square meter in one hour is expected in the northeastern half of the peninsula and northeast of the Balearic Islands, especially in the north and northeast of Ma.
