<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/13/spain-flood-warnings-schools-closed-people-evacuated>
"Authorities in eastern and southern Spain have closed schools and begun
evacuating some residents as the country is pounded by further torrential rains
two weeks after the catastrophic floods that killed at least 215 people and
unleashed a bitter political blame game.
On Wednesday morning, the state meteorological agency, Aemet, put large parts
of eastern and southern Spain on amber alert and issued the highest level of
warning for the provinces Tarragona in Catalonia and Málaga in Andalucía.
The Andalucían government closed schools in the provinces of Málaga and
Granada, and 3,000 people were evacuated from neighbourhoods near the
Guadalhorce river, which runs through Málaga province. High-speed rail services
connecting Madrid to Málaga and Valencia were suspended on Wednesday afternoon
until at least midday on Thursday.
Málaga airport cancelled one flight and diverted five others, operator Aena
wrote on X, while the local metro was shut.
The authorities in Catalonia called on people to take “maximum care”, while
Valencia’s regional government – which has been criticised for its handling of
the disaster – advised councils in affected areas to close schools and to
recommend that people worked from home.
Early on Wednesday evening, Aemet raised the alert in Valencia province from
orange to red.
“The danger is extreme,” Aemet said in a post on X. “Avoid moving around as
rivers could flood. Be very careful!” It warned that 180 litres of water a
square metre could fall in the area over the course of four or five hours.
While the current storm is not expected to be as powerful as the last one, the
impact of the rains could be severe because of the huge quantities of mud
already on the ground and the compromised condition of the sewage system.
Almost 20,000 military personnel and police officers are still engaged in the
clean-up operation in Valencia, which was the region hit hardest by the floods
a fortnight ago.
The town council of Chiva, one of the worst-hit sites, cancelled classes and
sports activities, while in nearby Aldaia workers piled up sandbags to protect
the town.
“We are placing sandbags to replace the floodgates that the previous floods
tore down,” Antonio Ojeda, a municipal worker, told Reuters. He said the idea
was to prevent the Saleta ravine, which runs through the town, from overflowing
again."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
