Exactly one year after the deadly floods that occurred in Valencia and its region, Andalusia was hit this Wednesday, October 29, by torrential rains and strong gusts of wind. On orange alert, the city of Seville registered at least 1,499 incidents linked to these rainfall, as reported this Thursday, October 30, by the Andalusian Emergency Agency (EMA).
More than 1,000 phone calls were made to the Andalusian Emergency Agency (EMA) to report “collapses and falling elements” or even “traffic accidents,” the EMA states.
Up to 115 liters of water per square meter fell in the Andalusian capital, a record since November 1997, reported the National Meteorological Agency (AEMET). According to ABC, all storm reservoirs in the city of 700,000 people have been filled.
During the day, the Seville city council, which had closed its parks, gardens, sports facilities and cemeteries, activated level 1 of the local emergency phase, which foresees “significant minor damage.”
Houses and shops flooded
Flooded streets, houses, shops and basements, traffic difficult or even impossible due to the breakdown of some 74 traffic lights, falling trees and branches, closed universities… The rains have disrupted the daily life of the inhabitants of Seville, quite accustomed to the blue sky and the intense heat.
Several subway stations had to close because they were flooded and water even leaked into many buses that circulated through the city. As the day progressed, the roads gradually emptied, allowing traffic to resume.
In Seville, criticism quickly arose over the management of the event. “The authorities say we should try to avoid unnecessary trips, but how am I going to pick up my children from school?” This mother, interviewed by El País, wonders if she would have preferred the closure of schools. It is a “lack of foresight” on the part of the city council, some reacted.
Red alert in Huelva
In Huelva, approximately an hour from Seville, the red alert was activated. Neighbors received an alert message on their cell phones, asking them to “be very careful, avoid unnecessary trips and call 112” in case of emergency. This alert was also received by residents of a dozen coastal towns in southwestern Spain.
One serious injury was reported in Gibraleón, in the province of Huelva, and another more minor injury was reported in Carmona, in the province of Seville, according to the EMA.
On Wednesday, October 29, as Andalusia faced torrential rains, King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to Valencia to attend a ceremony honoring the 237 victims of last year’s catastrophic floods.
The event in tribute to the more than 230 people who disappeared a year ago in the floods in Spain was marked by insults to the president of the Valencian Community, Carlos Mazón, a man whom the relatives of the victims did not want to see and whose resignation they demand.
Source: BFM TV
