The Balearic Islands woke up and went to bed on Thursday still under the effects of the low tide. If on Wednesday it was Formentera that was the most affected, now the storms and thunderstorms occurred above all in Mallorca and Menorca, where flooding was recorded in inland municipalities of the islands close to torrents, such as in Es Mercadal (Menorca), which overflowed and flooded the town’s basements and dragged cars through the adjacent streets of the town causing damage to street furniture. Residents have been working all night to clean their houses and garages flooded by the rain, which has left 204.2 litres per square metre in just 4 hours and has completely overflowed the town’s torrent.
In another municipality in Menorca, in Alaior, 31 people were evacuated from a residence due to the risk of collapse. A family who had become trapped in their vehicle due to the water currents was also rescued. In the tourist town of Port de Sóller (Mallorca), where up to 114 litres per square metre fell, a dozen residents were evacuated due to the risk of flooding their homes. According to the fire brigade, no injuries were reported. The depression, which should weaken this Friday, also affected Catalonia, but with less severity. The Civil Guard has also reported that a helicopter rescue has been carried out and that more people are being evacuated from different isolated properties in Menorca.
Along the road between Alaior and Es Mercadal, six people (seven of them minors) had to be rescued tonight by a helicopter from the Civil Guard Air Service from the roofs of four houses, where they had taken shelter from the water that was flooding their homes. Agents from the mountain rescue team sent from Palma collaborated in the tasks and, later, Civil Protection took charge of the people and drove them to a sports centre in Alaior, where they will spend the night.
Palma airport has activated the crisis committee to collaborate with airlines and provide the best solution to its passengers in the face of delays and cancellations, it has reported through a press release. Enaire, the airspace manager. Palma airport has been the most affected, although Ibiza and Menorca have also suffered the effects of the storms. And not only because of the storms affecting the islands, but also other areas of Europe that have affected their air traffic.
By 18:00, the Balearic Emergency System had responded to 112 incidents on Thursday. By islands, 69 incidents were recorded in Mallorca, 58 in Menorca, three in Ibiza and one in Formentera. Most of the incidents were due to flooding of buildings (52). One of the most affected towns was Manacor (Mallorca), where firefighters had to evacuate 29 passengers from a train on the line that connects the town with Palma due to flooding of the track. The infrastructure was suspended in the section between Manacor and Petra and was covered by a bus service.
Given the emergency situation on the islands, teams from the Third Emergency Intervention Battalion (BIEM) of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) have travelled to Mallorca this Thursday to carry out reconnaissance and assessment tasks on the situation caused by the storm and to support the authorities.
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On Wednesday, around 30,640 lightning bolts struck the Mediterranean area as a result of the low tide, which is expected to move towards Corsica on Thursday. The vast majority of these bolts fell in the sea, but 4,715, or 15% of the total, struck land, according to a message posted on social media by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). This phenomenon, however, is far from the record number of bolts in that geographical area, which was reached on 9 August 2018, when 268,396 bolts struck the area.
