Early action can mitigate flood destruction, UN climate agency says

Effective flood warning systems could help to avoid the level of destruction that has occurred in the Valencia region of Spain this week, the World Meteorological Organization said on Friday.

"We do need to ensure that the early warnings reach those who need them," WMO official Clare Nullis told a regular U.N. briefing. "We need to ensure that early warnings lead to informed early action."

Nullis declined to comment on whether Madrid had acted too slowly in warning residents about the floods, saying only that it was something that "Spanish authorities need to examine".