Joshua Parfitt
WHAT was that saying about the rain in Spain?
Since Thursday, the Costa Blanca has been hit by the largest April storm in 73 years bringing winds of up to 100 km/h and flash floods all along the eastern coast.
The ports of Valencia, Castellon, Sagunto and Gandia were shut, while in Torrevieja—the worst hit region—the heavens dumped 200 litres/m2 of rain in 48 hours and led to the declaration of a ‘level 1 pre-emergency’.
Firefighters carried out 300 interventions in Alicante, due to landslides, falling trees, water drains, traffic accidents and trapped vehicles.
In Orihuela, near the border with Murcia, two men were injured Friday night after the wall of an abandoned house collapsed while they were seeking refuge.
In Novelda, in a flooded ravine that connects with the Vinalopó River, a man and a woman were rescued by fireman as their car began to rapidly fill with water.
Professor Jorge Olcina, president of the Association of Spanish Geographers (AGE), told Diario Informacion that not since Good Friday in 1946 has rain fallen “as much and as widely distributed throughout the Iberian southeast as now”.
“We have had a really dry start to 2019 in this part of Spain, and these rains have come in handy to close the deficit that we accumulated.
“The fields of the whole province and the region of Murcia have been well soaked, which guarantees at least a couple of irrigations for the seasonal harvests.”
WATCH: Videos pour in as ‘gota fria’ drenches Javea and Denia on Spain’s Costa Blanca
Marina Alta on RED ALERT as heavy rains cause flash floods along Spain’s Costa Blanca
