A section of the highway near Almeria was cut off on Monday evening after heavy rain. The area was placed on orange alert Monday evening.
Spain is not yet at the end of its troubles. Two weeks after the floods caused by heavy rains which hit the Valencia region in the west, killing more than 200 people, the south-east of the country is in turn on alert. The city of Almeria, in Andalusia, was placed on orange flood alert on Monday evening as heavy rain began to fall on the region. Nearly 70 liters per square meter fell in almost an hour, according to the Emergency Coordination Center, forcing authorities to cut a section of the A-7 motorway.
The alert for “heavy rain and storms” was activated at 5 p.m. by AEMET, the Spanish meteorological agency, in Almeria and in the Poniente region, in Andalusia. On social networks, images notably showed the Rambla de las Hortichuelas river overflowing its bed. As some areas began to be submerged by water and mud, recalling the scenes of disasters that occurred two weeks earlier in the Valencia region, the Balanegra Town Hall launched the local emergency plan, while the authorities of Andalusia triggered the pre-emergency phase.
Only material damage
On Tuesday morning, Balanegra Mayor Nuria Rodríguez told Spanish media that two boulevards, including one running through her town, were flooded, but that the situation had now stabilized. “At first we were quite scared because there was a lot of water coming down the boulevard, but it has already started to go down”she said, now saying “assess the damage” Who, “Fortunately”are only of order “material”.
The municipalities of El Ejido, Vícar, Roquetas de Mar, Almería and Balanegra were the most affected. According to a press release from the Andalusia Emergency Coordination Center, three people had to be rescued, including one with reduced mobility, in Vícar, but no disappearances were reported.
The A-7 motorway, closed at Balanegra since 10 p.m. Monday evening, is still impassable this Tuesday morning. On social networks, Transport Minister Oscar Puente explained that the storm “caused a drainage pipe to collapse” on the highway, and suggested alternative routes for vehicles.
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