Floods caused by heavy rain and hail in the Spanish region of Valencia have killed at least 95 people, local authorities said.
There is a devastating flood in Spain. The head of the regional government of Valencia, Carlos Mason, said that the rescue operation continues in the affected areas and the exact number of casualties has not yet been determined. Local media are also writing about the destruction and casualties in the Balearic Islands.
heavy rain
According to Spanish meteorologists, 491 mm of rain fell in just eight hours in Valencia, a volume that corresponds to approximately the annual norm. Water currents wash away bridges and cars.
More than 150 thousand homes in Valencia lost power due to strong winds, which cut power lines. Electricity supplier Iberdrola said restoration could take several hours due to adverse weather conditions.
Some flights that were supposed to land in Valencia were canceled or diverted to other regions. Rail services have also been completely suspended in this region of Spain.
Climatologists say that there are many factors behind the current flooding, but the gradual warming of the atmosphere as a result of global warming increases the likelihood of such natural disasters.
Miscalculation by the authorities
At the same time, the civil defense service issued a warning about the danger from twelve to eight o’clock on Tuesday night, when many populated areas were flooded.
“The scale of this tragedy raises the question of whether the population was notified too late: Civil Defense sends out warnings when floodwaters inundate cities,” said a headline on the leading newspaper’s website in Spain El Mundo.
Some citizens accuse the authorities of the province of Valencia of skimping on the rescue service. The provincial leader, conservative Carlos Mason, had to once again justify his decision to abolish the UVE emergency service.
UVE was created by leftist politicians who were in power in the province until the last election. After winning last year’s election, Carlos Mason immediately dismissed the new institution, saying that its benefits were not obvious and that the costs were disproportionate to the benefits.
This decision has again been criticized by Mason’s opponents and his conservative People’s Party Carlos Mason has also been criticized for promising on Tuesday that the rain will stop from six o’clock in the evening. Instead, at night, torrents of water flood cities and villages, carrying away cars and washing away roads.
Mason replied that rescue services had been on high alert since Monday, and it was very difficult to give people specific recommendations on what to do because of the unusual nature of the disaster.
Climate change
Climate activists say the floods in Spain are another reminder of the need to act quickly and decisively to stop global warming.
“Climate change is not an abstract concept, but a reality that affects our lives, and in this case, takes lives,” said the head of Greenpeace Spain, Eva Saldaña.
Jorge Olsina, a scientist at the University of Alicante and co-author of a recent report on the manifestations of climate change in Spain, believes that the heavy rains and floods in Valencia are just one such manifestation.
According to climatologists, the immediate cause of the current flood is a combination of many factors, but the gradual warming of the environment as a result of global warming increases the likelihood of such natural disasters.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.