After Two Weeks of Flooding… Heavy Rains Hit Spain
Southern and eastern Spain experienced a new wave of torrential rain on Wednesday, reigniting residents’ concerns after devastating floods two weeks ago left at least 223 people dead, mostly in the Valencia region, according to Agence France-Presse.
The National Weather Agency issued a red alert, the highest level of alert signifying extreme danger, for Malaga (south) and Tarragona (northeast), due to a meteorological phenomenon known as “Gota Fría” (“cold drop”). This phenomenon consists of an isolated high-altitude low-pressure system that causes sudden and intense rainfall, which is quite common in autumn along Spain’s Mediterranean coast.
In the areas affected by the red alert along the coast, between 120 and 180 liters of rain per square meter are expected in the coming hours, according to the National Weather Agency, with rainfall continuing until Thursday.
Heavy rains are also expected in the regions affected by the floods on October 29, with concerns remaining over blocked channels due to muddy sediment.
Earlier, tens of thousands gathered in the city of Valencia in eastern Spain last Saturday, protesting the local authorities’ handling of the devastating flood disaster that claimed the lives of more than 220 people, one of the worst natural disasters in Europe in decades.
In the latest protest over the floods, crowds gathered in central Valencia to demand the resignation of regional government leader Carlos Mazón, chanting “Murderers!”
One banner read: “Our hands are covered in mud, and yours in blood.” Some protesters threw muddy shoes outside the government building, while others smeared it with mud.
Residents of the affected areas accuse Mazón of delaying the warning on October 29, long after water had flooded many nearby towns and villages, according to Reuters.
