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Storms hit Barcelona: what is known about the flooding in Spain
Earlier in Spain, shocking images emerged showing parts of the Valencia region completely submerged after floods killed at least 217 people, with around 2,000 people missing. Torrents of water could be seen rushing through towns and infrastructure, washing cars off roads and drenching fields in mud.
On Sunday evening, a warning was sent to Catalans' mobile phones about "extreme and prolonged rainfall" on the southern outskirts of Barcelona, urging people to avoid normally dry ravines and canals that could be hit by rising waters. Footage from Barcelona's El Prat airport showed water pouring into the terminal building and gushing from the ceiling as passengers took off their shoes and followed the stream through the departures hall.
Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente said he was suspending all commuter rail services in the northeastern region of Catalonia, home to 8 million people, at the request of civil protection authorities. Puente said rain had forced air traffic controllers to divert 15 flights at Barcelona Airport on the southern outskirts of the city, the Associated Press reported. In the southern Catalan city of Tarragona, about halfway between Barcelona and Valencia, classes were cancelled after a red alert was issued for rain.
Meanwhile, in Valencia, the search continues for thousands of damaged cars and bodies inside homes scattered across streets, highways and canals where floodwaters have inundated densely populated areas. In the city of Aldaya, about 50 soldiers, police officers and firefighters in wetsuits searched for victims in the underground car park of a major shopping centre. They used small boats and floodlights to navigate the massive structure, where vehicles were submerged at least a metre in murky water. Police spokesman Ricardo Gutierrez told reporters that about 50 cars had been recovered so far, but no bodies had been found inside them.
Locals, volunteers and thousands of soldiers and police continued the massive effort to clear away the mud and debris. Many people feel abandoned by the authorities, and their anger boiled over on Sunday when the Spanish royal couple, Prime Minister Sanchez and local leaders made their first visit to Paiporto, where a mob left more than 60 people dead and survivors homeless and still without. up. There is no drinking water.
The tragedy is Europe's worst flooding since 1967, when at least 500 people died in Portugal. The Spanish government has promised to "improve" recovery efforts, sending 10,000 soldiers and police to the disaster zone. Authorities in the hard-hit city of Valencia said on Sunday that hopes of finding more survivors were fading as deadly floods destroyed homes and vehicles and left residents without power, supplies or a way out. Hundreds of people in eastern and southern Spain have been trapped by floodwaters that have devastated parts of the country for almost a week, with raging waters surging onto streets, swallowing cars and filling homes. Landslides and high waters have blocked roads across the region, with drivers desperate to stay safe as they navigate flooded streets. Among the dead were British couple Terry and Dawn Turner, aged 74 and 78. They have not been seen since heavy rain fell in the Valencia region on Tuesday. They moved to Spain 10 years ago.
Scientists said the storm was concentrated on the banks of the Margo and Turia rivers, where a huge wall of water formed in the Poyo riverbed, bursting its banks and frightening locals as they went about their business on Tuesday evening. Spain's national meteorological agency said the worst-hit region of Chiba had received more rain in eight hours than it had seen in 20 months.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events that cause severe flooding and drought. "Rising temperatures have sped up the hydrological cycle. It has also become more unstable, unpredictable and increasingly problematic due to too much or too little water. The warmer the atmosphere, the more moisture it holds, leading to heavy rainfall. The downpours in Spain were caused by a destructive weather system in which cold and warm air collided to form powerful rain clouds, said Celeste Saulo, director-general of the World Meteorological Organization.
Another factor that scientists believe may have contributed to the unusual weather is unusually high temperatures in the Mediterranean. The highest surface temperature on record was 28.47°C in mid-August, according to Carola Koenig of the Centre for Flood Risk and Resilience at Brunel University in London. Higher temperatures increase the ability to form water vapour, leading to more rainfall.
The waters receded after six days, but the damage will take weeks and months to repair. Valencia's highways remain blocked or only partially usable, many littered with beaches and broken-down cars. The region's rail lines are so badly damaged that train services are unlikely to resume for weeks, according to Spanish rail operator Adif.