Colombia One Article: Flash Floods in Spain Kill 95; Two Colombians Reported Missing

Floods left 95 dead in Spain after a year’s worth of rain in a single day caused the country’s deadliest flooding in three decades yesterday.

According to locals in the affected areas and the authorities, bridges have been swept away, buildings damaged, and roads flooded in the Valencia region all the way down to Malaga. Meteorologists have said that what usually would have been about a year’s worth of rain poured in a span of just eight hours. The flooding caused by such extreme rainfall has submerged farmland and piled up cars in the streets.

No Colombians have been counted in the death toll thus far. Colombian Foreign Ministry announced a few moments ago that two citizens were reportedly missing.

Extreme floods in Spain

Flooding in Alacuás, Valencia. Courtesy of Joe, a resident of Alacuás

Residents of the affected towns have been getting to safety in their apartment buildings, trapped inside as the streets below them flood with muddy water. Joe, a resident of the village of Alacuás in the Valencia region, took a video of the flooding just outside of his apartment.

“The roads are broken, and a lot of people’s houses are flooded,” said Patricia Martí Sánchez, a teacher at IES Clara Campoamor in Alacuás and a resident of the city of Torrent in the Valencia region.

More footage shows severe damage throughout Valencia, including tornadoes in several towns. Footage from emergency services shows collapsed bridges and flooded fields in the countryside of Spain’s Valencian region.

Tornado in Alginet, Valencia. Courtesy of Carlos Albert

“Just do not go out and be careful,” Carlos Albert, a Valencian resident, told friends as the situation unfolded. “This is really strange here.”

Photo from Sedaví, Valencia, of a car pile-up. Credits: Courtesy of Carlos Albert.

Due to the flooding, trains to and from Valencia have been canceled, and schools in the affected areas have canceled classes. Essential services in the most badly impacted areas have also been suspended. However, according to Alsa Autobuses’ X page, some bus services heading to and from Valencia should be operational on Thursday.

According to the state weather agency AEMET, the towns of Chiva, Buñol, and Turis reported about 15 inches of rainfall on Tuesday, leading them to declare a red alert in the Valencian region, which calmed down to an amber alert on Wednesday. Red alerts were also issued in Catalonia, especially the area surrounding Barcelona, by the regional weather services, and the city of Jerez in Andalucía was also placed on red alert.

The worst flooding in three decades

Spain had not experienced floods on this level since 1996 when more than 87 deaths were reported due to flooding in a town near the Pyrenees mountains. The floods in Valencia are also the worst in Europe since 2021 when 185 people died in Germany.

“For those who are still looking for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you,” said Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in a televised speech. Sanchez also promised to rebuild the infrastructure in the affected areas.

According to the Valencian Institute of Agriculture Investigations, Spain is the world’s largest exporter of fresh oranges, and Valencia produces more than 60% of Spain’s oranges. The flooding could affect Spain’s citrus exports, which could, in turn, affect the world’s supply.

Events like this are becoming increasingly common as the global climate change situation worsens.

“Events of this type, which used to occur many decades apart, are now becoming more frequent, and their destructive capacity is greater,” said Ernesto Rodriguez Camino, senior state meteorologist and a member of the Spanish Meteorological Association.

https://colombiaone.com/2024/10/30/flash-floods-in-spain-kill-more-than-90-no-colombians-reported/