A week has passed since the High Level Isolated Depression (DANA) formed in Spain, seriously affecting Valencia, where it is estimated that there are still hundreds of missing people and thousands of victims.
However, the remainder of the DANA caused torrential rains this Monday that caused damage in Barcelona and nearby areas, which caused the suspension of short, medium and long-distance trains, the closure of the main roads and the El Prat airport, where the flood prevented the use of the take-off and landing runways.
Barcelona under the impact of DANA, with floods that paralyze transport and activities in the city.
For Dr. Víctor Manuel Torres Puente, researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change (ICAyCC), the crisis due to the “cold drop” in Spain is coming to an end, since the meteorological forecasts of the European Center (ECWF) ) and Meteocat (Catalonia Meteorological Service) indicate that in the coming days there will be moderate to low rainfall, compared to what was experienced a week ago and severely affected Valencia.
“Today’s floods had much less precipitation than those that occurred a week ago in Valencia, which were 500 mm in some locations. Today’s ranged between 131, which although it is a high value, is approximately four times less. There were effects, but not so severe, and finally it could be said that the worst is over,” he commented.
DANA now affects Catalonia, flooding Barcelona and forcing closures at the Prat Airport and main roads.
So far, authorities have not reported any human losses. According to Torres Puente, the effects were limited to the infrastructure thanks to the alerts sent by the local Civil Protection offices to the inhabitants, urging them to remain attentive to the reports. In addition, activities were suspended, including public transportation, and both hospitals and universities canceled their operations, rescheduling them to avoid exposing their users.
“One of the lessons of the tragedy that occurred in Valencia has been the creation of a culture of prevention against natural disasters, which we hope will be maintained in future events. “People were very attentive this Monday and were aware of the meteorological dangers to which they were exposed,” he explained.
The current scenario
In Valencia, cleaning work continues, and it is expected to take time to restore normality despite the efforts of the National Police and Civil Protection teams. So far, authorities have reported at least 211 deaths.
To measure the damage in this region, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) reported that in eight hours a volume of rain fell comparable to the annual average for the area. Furthermore, the orography of Valencia exacerbated the catastrophe, since rainfall in inland mountainous areas generates floods and floods of water that are more dangerous than those recorded on the coasts.
Faced with this situation, Carlos Mazón, president of the Generalitat Valenciana, has asked the Spanish Government for an aid package with 136 measures and 31 million euros to rebuild Valencia. Likewise, he announced that 6,000 euros will be awarded to each affected citizen.
For the moment, the Spanish Government’s priority is to save lives, recover the bodies of the victims and restore basic supplies and services as soon as possible.
For a culture of prevention
The ICAyCC expert does not rule out that more DANAs will occur in the future, since global warming is significantly increasing the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, which promotes the frequency and intensity of these phenomena. Spain must begin to implement preventive measures to mitigate its effects.
“It is necessary to establish contingency plans and inform the population about them. There are many lessons to be learned from this tragedy, not only for Spain, but worldwide. We need to create a culture of prevention around natural disasters,” he concluded.
