Spain: after Valencia, Malaga affected by torrential rains and floods

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Further heavy rainfall in Spain led to school closures and train cancellations on Wednesday, two weeks after flash floods in Valencia and other parts of the country killed at least 222 people and destroyed thousands of homes. dwellings.

In the province of Malagain southern Spain, streets were flooded and 3,000 people living near the Guadalhorce River were evacuated from their homes as a preventative measure.

No deaths have been reported.

Spanish weather forecaster AEMET, who had placed Malaga on red alert, said up to 70mm of rain had accumulated in an hour.

Parts of the eastern province of Tarragona also faced heavy rains and remained on red alert.

The forecast for Malaga has delayed the start of the Billie Jean King Cup tennis final between Spain and Poland, which was due to take place on Wednesday.

The storm system affecting Spain is caused by the collision of warm air and stagnant cold air which forms powerful rain clouds and thunderstorms.

Experts say cycles of drought and flooding are increasing with climate change.

The European Parliament is considering a more effective response to these weather phenomena

In response to the devastating floods in Spain, and after a minute’s silence in tribute to the victims in Valencia, the European Parliament dedicated a session on Wednesday to discussing measures to strengthen the EU’s resilience to extreme weather events, and to provide support to those affected by the disaster.

“We need to make sure we are ready to face the next disaster, because we are already living in an era of crisis“, declared the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcicadding that “Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world“.

The debate focused on improving the EU’s response to crises, particularly in regions increasingly vulnerable to climate events. It aimed to underline the EU’s commitment to improving climate adaptation efforts in all member states.