The bad weather emergency is not over. Heavy and persistent rain is forecast for today 1 November in the western half of Andalusia, the lower Ebro and the Balearic Islands
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The Integrated Coordination Centre, which manages theflood emergency in Spainupdated the death toll, which rose to 202 confirmed deaths in the Valencian Community, to which must be added two more deaths in Castilla-La Mancha and one in Malaga, Andalusia.
The latest toll, Thursday, was 158 deaths. Meanwhile, cThe search for the missing and the restoration of homes, roads and infrastructure continue.
Meanwhile, the situation for mobility remains complicated, in light of the fact that at least 80 km of road network was destroyed. The motorway that connects Valencia to Madrid is not accessible. Over 50 thousand volunteers have arrived in Valencia, but the authorities are inviting rescuers to stop the influx, given that the roads are partly impassable and the risk is of clogging traffic.
The incessant search for survivors
Dozens and dozens of people are still there dispersed in south-eastern Spain more than 48 hours after the flood. This was declared by Minister for territorial politics, Ángel Víctor Torresin a press conference: the final consideration is that the total number of deaths will continue to rise.
The Spanish Defense Minister, Margarita Roblessaid that another 500 soldiers from the Navy and Air Force have joined the 1,205 soldiers of the Emergency Unit to assist the territories affected by the flood, in particular the Valencia region. In total they were therefore 1,700 soldiers deployed. The army is working to distribute aid to the population and the regional government of Valencia has announced a initial plan of 250 million euros.
“There may be other people alive”
“Many people were on the lower floors of the houses, in the garages, trying to save the cars, there may still be people still alive among those who find themselves in this situation,” Robles told Spanish national TV, announcing the deployment of soldiers in assist rescue teams. Currently they are counted over 120 thousand displaced.
The Provincial Council of Valencia reported that 366 thousand residents of around twenty municipalities in the province are still without drinking water due to the flood. The metropolitan area of Valencia was the most affected by Dana, the meteorological phenomenon that hit Spain.
More extreme rainfall is feared
Meanwhile, the Dana “Depresion Aislada en Niveles Altos” (“isolated depression at high altitude”) is still scary. They are scheduled for today, November 1st heavy and persistent rain in the western half of Andalusia, the lower Ebro and the Balearic Islands.
The alert after the extreme rainfall that brought Valencia to its knees is maximum throughout Spain, he declared three days of national mourning starting Thursday.
Several areas of the provinces of Valencia and Castellón, as well as the south of Tarragona, are under an orange alert from the state meteorological agency, while in Andalusia the alert is red in the coastal areas of Huelva, Andévalo and Condado. A strong storm, in fact, has already flooded part of the capital of Huelva and areas of other nearby municipalities. Yellow alert in the Balearic Islands and Extremadura and in other areas of the Valencian Community and Catalonia.
The cyclone hit the Valencian Community on Tuesday around 600 mm of rain in just four hoursmore than all the water that falls on the region in a year.
Lack of warning, who’s to blame?
Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez went to the headquarters of theState Meteorological Agency (Aemet) in Madridwhere he met those responsible. The visit comes after the criticism that Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Popular Party, directed at the agency.
Speaking from the Valencia region, Feijóo has accused Aemet of not having clearly warned the regional authorities of the danger that the Dana could represent. Feijóo thus defended the actions of the governor of the PP, Carlos Mazón, who was also at the center of controversy for having sent the alarm on citizens’ phones on Tuesday at 8pm, when the water was already high and many people were already trapped.
The president was accompanied by Teresa Ribera, vice president and minister for the ecological transition. Starting at 12, Sánchez presides over the meeting fourth meeting of the crisis committee to monitor the effects of Dana in La Moncloa.
