Spain declares three days of mourning
The Spanish government has declared three days of mourning, starting tomorrow, Ángel Víctor Torres, the minister responsible for territorial policy has told reporters.
At least 64 people have died following the flash floods and several others remain missing.
Key events
Weather agency warns of strong rains in Spain’s northeast
AEMET, Spain’s state weather agency, has said that it expects the intense rains in Valencia to subside today, but noted that parts of the region remain under alert.
The storm, however, was headed north, prompting warnings for the northeastern region of Catalonia. Heavy rainfall was also expected in parts of southern Spain.
“Caution in the northeast of the peninsula and western Andalusia: very heavy showers may occur,” the agency wrote on social media.
Las lluvias intensas remiten este miércoles de la provincia de Valencia, pero todavía hasta las 14:00 horas hay aviso naranja en el interior de Castellón.
Precaución en el nordeste peninsular y Andalucía occidental: se podrán producir chubascos muy fuertes.
¡Mantente informado! pic.twitter.com/aDEOGWojrS— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) October 30, 2024
Spain declares three days of mourning
The Spanish government has declared three days of mourning, starting tomorrow, Ángel Víctor Torres, the minister responsible for territorial policy has told reporters.
At least 64 people have died following the flash floods and several others remain missing.
More pictures are coming in to us now from flood-hit Valencia – as the clean-up starts. Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez has told those affected to remain ‘on their guard’
Photograph: José Miguel Fernández/GTRES/REX/Shutterstock
Today’s flash floods are reported to have been the worst to have affected Spain since 1996.
Back then, 87 people died when torrential rain hit an area in a town in the Pyrenees mountains.
As we reported in our post earlier at 11.38GMT, climate scientists have warned torrential rains are set to get stronger as the planet heats up.
Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, senior state meteorologist and member of Spanish Meteorological Association, said: “These types of intense and exceptional, rare rainfall events are going to become more frequent and more intense and, therefore, destructive.”
Spain floods: What we know so far
As we reported earlier, the EU has offered support to Spain.
In a post on social media, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU Commission noted that “Europe is ready to help.”
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, she reiterated the message, adding that the EU’s thoughts were with the victims of the floods as well as the rescue teams working frantically to locate the missing.
She added:
What we are seeing is devastating; entire villages are covered with mud, people seeking refuge on trees and cars swept away by the fury of the waters.”
Death toll climbs to 64
Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia have confirmed the deaths of 62 people, while the central government office in the Castilla-La Mancha region said two people had been killed.
Several people remain missing across the country.
Relatives continue to frantically search for their loved ones
Social media and television outlets across Spain have been filled with appeals as people scramble to track down loved ones who remain missing.
Leonardo Enrique told broadcaster RTVE that his family had last spoken to his 40-year-old son on Tuesday around 7pm. His son had been driving a delivery van near the industrial town of Ribarroja, and had sent a message saying that it was raining heavily.
In a second message, he said his van was flooding and that he had been hit by another vehicle. “We haven’t heard anything,” Enrique said. “He’s not answering his phone.”
As the rain begins to subside in Valencia, details have continued to emerge about the storm’s powerful impact across the region.
Along with extraordinary amounts of rainfall, the storm gave rise to a freak hailstorm, punching holes in car windows and greenhouses, as well as a tornado.
Residents have described how the deluge of rain swiftly mixed with mud and refuse, making streets unrecognisable.
“The neighbourhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it’s literally smashed up,” Christian Viena, a bar owner in the Valencian village of Barrio de la Torre, told the Associated Press news agency.
“Everything is a total wreck, everything is ready to be thrown away. The mud is almost 30 centimetres deep.”
The Guardian’s Community team would like to hear from people in Spain about the impact of the flooding. Have you been affected by the recent flooding? How are you coping?
Spain’s state weather agency has described the rainfall in parts of the country as “extraordinary”
In the area between municipalities such as Utiel and Chiva, more than 300 litres fell per square metre, the agency said on social media.
Chiva, a small town that is home to 17,000 people, was particularly hard hit, with 491 litres falling per square metre. “Practically as much rain as would be seen in a full year,” the agency noted.
⛈️Lluvias registradas el 29 de octubre.
Acumulaciones extraordinarias en la provincia de Valencia: se llegaron a superar 300 l/m² en la zona entre Utiel y Chiva.
En Chiva, de hecho, se recogieron 491 l/m² en solo ocho horas: prácticamente lo que puede llover en un año completo. pic.twitter.com/3a3Z5flP8i— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) October 30, 2024
Map shows areas affected by flash floods in Spain
The mayor of the small town of Utiel, in the Valencia region, has said emergency services were still scrambling to track down several people who are missing in his town.
“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldón told national broadcaster RTVE.
He added:
We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three meters.”
Ajit Niranjan
Climate scientists have warned that torrential rains are set to get stronger as the planet heats up.
Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, senior state meteorologist and member of Spanish Meteorological Association, said: “These types of intense and exceptional, rare rainfall events are going to become more frequent and more intense and, therefore, destructive.”
He said scientists would be able to quantify the role of climate change after the event but could not do so on the fly.
María José Sanz, scientific director of the BC3 Basque Centre for Climate Change, said hotter oceans meant there was more water in the atmosphere. Changes in the jet stream also appear to be keeping areas of low pressure in one place for longer.
The air can hold 7% more water for every degree celsius the planet heats. The world has heated about 1.3C and Europe has warmed by about double that.
Liz Stephens, a climate risk scientist at the University of Reading, said “the tragic consequences of this event show that we have a long way to go to prepare.”
A red weather warning was issued for the region with enough time for people to move out of harm’s way, she added, but a red warning alone doesn’t communicate what the impact will be or what people should do.
“People shouldn’t be dying from these kinds of forecasted weather events in countries where they have the resources to do better.”
The EU has offered support to Spain, the president of the EU Commission has said.
In a post on social media, Ursula von der Leyen said “Europe is ready to help.”
What we’re seeing in Spain is devastating.
My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the rescue teams.
The EU has already offered support.
Copernicus has been activated.
The #EUCivilProtection can be mobilised.
Europa está lista para ayudar https://t.co/SOsCIxHwvV
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 30, 2024
Death toll in Valencia region rises to 63 people
At least 62 people have died as a result of the floods, regional authorities in Valencia have said.
The central government delegation in the central Castilla-La Mancha region later said an 88-year-old woman was found dead in the city of Cuenca.
Speaking to reporters in the Canary Islands, Spain’s King Felipe has spoke of the “enormous destruction” caused by the floods.
There are still difficulties when it comes to accessing some areas, so we do not have complete information on the extent and possible victims.
“I am comforted by the knowledge that all possible means available are at the disposal of the authorities and emergency services. They are all working and the important thing is to let them work in a coordinated manner”.
