Heavy rain threatens Valencia, Spain, after deadly flash flooding, weather officials say
LONDON -- Storms and heavy rain are forecasted to hit Valencia Wednesday night, two weeks after the worst floods in Spain's modern history killed over 200 people in the region.
The Spanish national weather service, AEMET, issued an orange alert on Tuesday night for torrential rainfall, forecasting over four and a half inches of rain starting tonight and lasting until early Thursday morning and sending residents rushing to brace for the impending weather.
Although this storm is expected to be weaker than the one that caused the previous flooding, damages are likely due to compromised infrastructure, officials said.
The damage from the recent floods, including mud and rainwater blanketing the ground and debris-clogged drainage systems, is expected to cause disproportionate flooding, according to Valencia Emergency spokesperson Rosa Tauris.
She advised canceling classes and working remotely to avoid commuting during the rainfall. The town council of Chiva has already canceled classes and sports programs.
Local governments are building structures to minimize the damage.
"We are placing sandbags to replace the floodgates that the previous floods tore down," municipal worker Antonio Ojeda said, according to Reuters
Government workers and citizen volunteers are still working to clear the mud and rainwater that remains on the streets of Valencia with brooms, shovels, wheelbarrows and buckets.
Many have criticized the regional leader for taking around 12 hours to issue alerts about the previous storm directly to people's phones, after the flood was already causing casualties and damage.
A crowd shouted "murderer" and pelted mud at King Felipe when he visited Valencia after the flooding, and 130,000 people gathered to protest government mismanagement on Saturday.
