On Tuesday, the sewage system near Valencia was hurriedly cleared after the flood two weeks ago, which killed over 200 people. More downpours are predicted for Wednesday. An orange alert has already been issued in Spain, just one level lower than the highest level. Forecasters from the Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) expect that within 12 hours approximately 120 mm of rain will fall. The upcoming storm will not be as strong as the next few days agobut it can still do a lot of harm to Spaniards who have not had time to recover from the last tragedy – reports Reuters.
Spain is preparing for more downpours
Heavy rainfall may pose a major problem due to the amount of mud that still lies on the streets and the partially clogged sewage system, Rosa Tauris, spokeswoman for the crisis committee in Valencia, told journalists. Thousands of people work on cleaning in the city's suburbs, and they are also arranged new sandbags. 10,000 were deleted on Monday alone. tons of furniture, appliances and clothing. That's almost as much as Valencia throws away in a year.
A number of countermeasures were taken ahead of Wednesday's rainfall, including: it was recommended to work remotely if possible and avoid unnecessary travel. Schools were also closed in at least 50 municipalities – as reported by “El Mundo”.
Dangerous weather however, it affects not only the southern part of the country. On Monday, there was a flash flood in Andalusia, even part of the highway was flooded. In addition to Valencia, the orange alert also applies to Catalonia, Andalusia and the Balearic Islands.
The Spanish protested. They are angry that politicians did not warn them about the tragedy
Spaniards are furious with the government for not warning residents about the flood in time. So last weekend, protesters gathered in front of Valencia's city hall. Spanish media report that many participants came to the rally in muddy clothes, straight after cleaning up the flooded areas. The mud became a symbol of resistance against the regional government. According to the services, 130,000 people took part in the protest. “We are stained with mud, you are stained with blood” and “Mazon, resign” – these are some of the slogans collected. They took with them, among other things, brushes and brooms.
During the protests, there were clashes with the police. The services suppressed riots caused by a small group that separated from the mainstream of the demonstration. The participants of the rally demand the dismissal of the leader of the Autonomous Community of Valencia, Carlos Mazon. A few hours before the flood, the politician argued that the storm would weaken. However, the opposite happened and when the services sent flood alerts to residents, in many places the water on the streets was up to one and a half meters high.