Spaniards brace for fresh storms two weeks after deadly Valencia floods

VALENCIA/MALAGA — Spaniards braced for further heavy rain and storms on Wednesday, just two weeks after rain and flash floods prompted rivers to overflow in Valencia and other parts of Spain killing more than 200 people and destroying homes and property.

Spanish weather forecaster AEMET issued red alerts on Wednesday morning for eastern Tarragona and southern Malaga provinces, saying it expected them to receive as much as 180 millimeters (7.1 inches) of rain within 12 hours that could cause rivers to overflow and generate flash floods.

Orange alerts were issued for Thursday for southern Granada and Valencia’s coastal area from Denia to Sagunto, where between 40 and 120 mm (1.6 to 4.7 inches) of rain were projected to fall.

Winds of up to 74 miles per hour (119 kmph) and high seas were predicted for Tarragona, Barcelona and Murcia.

Emergency services in Malaga have moved 3,000 people from homes at high risk of flooding near the Guadalhorce River west of the city, and in other areas asked citizens to seek higher ground.

Fifteen people were evacuated from their homes in Benalmadena when a wall collapsed, emergency services said.

All train services in Malaga province were halted, including the high speed train between Madrid and Malaga, while Malaga’s train station was evacuated due to flooding, national rail infrastructure operator Adif said.

In Malaga’s Campanilla district near to a tributary of the Guadalhorce River, workers were building a plastic barrier to try to contain the water that sewers could no longer take.

“People are very worried because five years ago the river rose almost one meter above street level. The walls of the school collapsed. Residents’ houses were flooded, their basements.. it was a real disaster,” resident Miguel Espinosa told Reuters.

Classes have been suspended in schools in Malaga, Valencia and some municipalities of Catalonia. Two metro lines have been closed or partially closed in Malaga, along with three highways deemed at risk of flash floods.

Juanma Moreno, Andalusia’s regional head from the conservative opposition PP party that also runs Valencia region, said prevention was better than cure and his government sent text messages to citizens to alert them.

“I know that the province of Malaga is, to a large extent, paralyzed with the measures adopted but the objective of all of us is to minimize the impact (of the storm),” Moreno said.