Spaniards brace for fresh storms two weeks after deadly Valencia floods

By Michael Francis Gore, Vincent West and Jon Nazca

Spaniards braced for further heavy rain and storms on Wednesday, just two weeks after rain and flash floods prompted rivers to overflow in Valencia and other parts of Spain killing more than 200 people and destroying homes and property.

Spanish weather forecaster AEMET issued red alerts on Wednesday morning for eastern Tarragona and southern Malaga provinces, saying it expected them to receive as much as 180 millimetres (7.1 inches) of rain within 12 hours that could cause rivers to overflow and generate flash floods.

Orange alerts were issued for Thursday for southern Granada and Valencia's coastal area from Denia to Sagunto, where between 40 and 120 mm (1.6 to 4.7 inches) of rain were projected to fall.

Winds of up to 74 miles per hour (119 kmph) and high seas were predicted for Tarragona, Barcelona and Murcia.

Emergency services in Malaga have moved 3,000 people from homes at high risk of flooding near the Guadalhorce River west of the city, and in other areas asked citizens to seek higher ground.

Fifteen people were evacuated from their homes in Benalmadena when a wall collapsed, emergency services said.

All train services in Malaga province were halted, including the high speed train between Madrid and Malaga, while Malaga's train station was evacuated due to flooding, national rail infrastructure operator Adif said.

In Malaga's Campanilla district near to a tributary of the Guadalhorce River, workers were building a plastic barrier to try to contain the water that sewers could no longer take.

"People are very worried because five years ago the river rose almost one metre above street level. The walls of the school collapsed. Residents' houses were flooded, their basements.. it was a real disaster," resident Miguel Espinosa told Reuters.

Classes have been suspended in schools in Malaga, Valencia and some municipalities of Catalonia. Two metro lines have been closed or partially closed in Malaga, along with three highways deemed at risk of flash floods.

Juanma Moreno, Andalusia's regional head from the conservative opposition PP party that also runs Valencia region, said prevention was better than cure and his government sent text messages to citizens to alert them.

"I know that the province of Malaga is, to a large extent, paralysed with the measures adopted but the objective of all of us is to minimize the impact (of the storm)," Moreno said.

In Valencia, where the regional government and Red Cross handed out jackets and blankets to prepare those hit by previous floods for the inclement weather, Gandia cargo and passenger port was closed, and the finals of the Billie Jean King tennis tournament in Malaga were postponed to Friday.

Spain's Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz and unions reminded workers that they were not legally obliged to go to work if weather conditions made it unsafe for them to do so.

RESPONSE CRITICISM

The emergency measures come after fierce criticism, primarily of local authorities but also national government, for their level of preparation for and warnings to citizens about the Oct. 29 storm and resulting floods.

The autumnal storm system blighting Spain is known locally as DANA - a high-altitude isolated depression - in which cold and warm air meet and produce powerful rain clouds, a pattern believed to be growing more frequent due to climate change.

In Valencia, the impact of the rain could be severe because of the significant quantities of mud already on the ground and because of the condition of the sewage system, Rosa Tauris, a spokesperson for its emergency committee, told reporters on Tuesday.

Many municipalities in flood-hit areas cancelled all non-essential activities, told citizens to work from home and follow emergency services' updates, as well as asking volunteers to suspend clean-up operations and piling up sandbags for extra protection.

The coming storms also obliged the suspension of rescue efforts by teams still searching for missing people off the coast of Valencia, Spain's maritime rescue service said.