Devastating storm in Spain: At least 64 dead and several missing after the passage of the DANA
Barcelona, October 30, 2024 - Spain is experiencing one of the most devastating rainstorms in its recent history. At least 64 people have lost their lives and several are missing after the passage of a DANA (Isolated Depression at High Levels), which has left a trail of unprecedented destruction in its wake. The Valencian Community and Castilla-La Mancha have been the most affected by the heavy rainfall, but the storm threatens to move towards the province of Barcelona, where extreme alert warnings have already been issued.
Provisional Balance and Rescue of Missing Persons
The latest reports indicate that 62 people have died in various towns in the Valencian Community. In this region, the authorities have set up emergency operations to locate the missing and assist the dozens of people trapped in their homes, due to the rapid rise in water levels. In Castilla-La Mancha, two bodies have been found and the authorities report that at least five people remain missing. This number could vary in the next few hours as rescue operations are carried out and the damage is assessed in each affected town.
The tragedy has reached a particularly dramatic dimension at the Civil Guard Headquarters in Paiporta , where a sergeant and a lieutenant, along with the girlfriend of one of them, have drowned after being trapped in the garage of the facility. The ground floor and basement were quickly flooded, preventing any possibility of escape. The rescue teams have highlighted the difficulty of working in areas where the infrastructure cannot withstand such a quantity of water and, in this case, the rapid accumulation of water proved fatal.
The president of the Provincial Council of Badajoz, Miguel Ángel Gallardo, has announced the deployment of two teams of specialized firefighters from the Consortium for the Prevention and Extinction of Fires (CPEI) to the Valencian Community. Equipped with canine guides, these teams will work intensively in the search for missing persons, in a mission that reflects the magnitude and urgency of the catastrophe.
In addition to the efforts of firefighters and rescue teams, dozens of volunteers and citizens have contributed to the relief efforts.
The Rain Does Not Give A Break: Concern in Barcelona and Northeast Spain
The storm is moving rapidly to the northeast, where the province of Barcelona is preparing for torrential rains that could cause similar flooding. According to Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the metro system is already experiencing cuts on several of its lines, including L3, L4 and L5, which has complicated the mobility of citizens in the middle of the day.
Authorities have urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and to keep informed through official channels. In the city of Teruel, the City Council has issued an alert due to the rising waters of the Turia River, which threatens to overflow its banks. Residents have been warned to avoid approaching the river in anticipation of a possible flood.
Impact of DANA in the Valencian Community: Sufficient Prevention?
The DANA has broken rainfall records in Valencian towns such as Chiva, Buñol and Turís, where up to 491 litres per square metre have accumulated in just eight hours, a volume of water equivalent to a year of rain in this region. This phenomenon has left large accumulations of water in other areas of the province, such as Requena, where 300 l/m² have been recorded, and Utiel, with around 275 l/m².
The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) expects the rains to begin to subside in the Valencian Community in the next few hours, although they maintain an orange warning until 2:00 p.m. in Castellón.
Samuel Biener , a climatologist at Meteored, has pointed out that, although the weather forecast was accurate, the impact of the DANA underlines the need to improve the culture of prevention in Spain. Biener highlights that countries with greater experience in extreme phenomena usually paralyze economic activities in situations like this, a measure that is not yet contemplated on a large scale in Spain.
For Biener, it is also crucial that the action protocol be managed in a more centralised manner, allowing municipalities to coordinate their efforts more effectively. "If these torrential rains had occurred a few years ago, we would be talking about an even bigger catastrophe," he said, emphasising how climate change and urban development without sufficient preventive measures aggravate the impact of these phenomena.
The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) expects the rains to begin to subside in the Valencian Community in the next few hours, although they maintain an orange warning until 2:00 p.m. in Castellón.
The Future: Adapting to Increasingly Extreme Weather Events
The DANA affecting Spain is the third largest natural disaster in the country's history in terms of impact, leaving behind painful human losses and incalculable economic damage. Climate change and the increase in extreme weather events are forcing Spain to rethink its prevention strategies, infrastructure and civil protection culture in order to be able to respond appropriately to disasters of this magnitude.
As the storm moves northeast, Spaniards remain on high alert, once again demonstrating the resilience and solidarity that characterise communities in times of adversity.
Comments