Floods in the Girona region leave one dead

GironaFirefighters' rescue teams located the body of a man on Tuesday night who, pending identification, could be the Fontanilles resident, around sixty years old, who was swept away with his car in the morning in the Palau-sator stream (Baix Empordà) due to the storm HarryWhile the river is usually dry, the town's mayor, Jordi Riembau, noted that on Tuesday it carried "five or six meters of water" after being collected from the Les Gavarres massif. The 112 emergency service received the alert at 7:30 a.m., at the same time that Civil Protection sent the ES-Alert message to mobile phones in four districts of Girona: Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, La Selva, and Gironès. Throughout the day, ground teams searched for the man, but had to suspend the water search because conditions were unsafe in the area where the Ter and Daró rivers meet. Air teams (a helicopter and drones) continued the search with the support of some ground personnel. Once the river level in the stream receded, the roof of the vehicle became visible, and firefighters located it.

It has not been within the reach, hardness, or defects of the Glory in January 2020, but the passage of the storm Harry The storm in the Girona region will be remembered for its relentless rain for two consecutive days, day and night, with widespread accumulations reaching or even exceeding 200 liters per square meter, pushing the Muga, Fluvià, Ter, Daró, Ridaura, and Tordera river basins to their limits. Four districts—Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, La Selva, and Gironès—were on alert Tuesday due to the risk of flooding and overflowing rivers, along with waves of four to seven meters along the coast. So far, the storm has resulted in widespread damage and one person missing.

The warning from the Generalitat, following the red alert for the worst moment of the storm HarryThis has led to the suspension of classes, sports activities, and the closure of residences and day centers. The government asked residents to avoid all travel and to stay away from riverbeds.

Onyar, Daró, and Manol at their limit

Girona and La Bisbal d'Empordà awoke to dozens of onlookers observing a highly unusual scene, despite warnings from authorities. On one side, the Onyar River was overflowing, with water just centimeters from the facades clinging to the picturesque, colorful houses of the Barri Vell (Old Quarter). On the other, the Daró River, usually dry, was raging with a higher flow than during the storm. GloryThe flow rate in La Bisbal reached 500 m³/s, a figure higher than the 430 m³/s recorded in January. In the city of Girona, the City Council has decided to take extreme precautions and has asked all businesses along the Onyar riverbed, both in the Barri Vell (Old Quarter) and in the Mercadal, Carme, and Vista Alegre neighborhoods, to close their doors and take shelter. "Today is a day for people to stay home," said Mayor Lluc Salellas, given the uncertainty this morning and the river exceeding the alert threshold.

In Figueres, the Manol River has also reached the risk of flooding, and Parc Bosc remains closed due to the fall of three more trees, in addition to the one that fell on Monday. In Verges, in the Baix Ter region, the river has overflowed its banks, contributing to the changing natural landscape of the Empordà plain after the easterly winds at the beginning of the month caused the collapse of the Ullà lock, a large 17th-century stone wall that diverted the river towards the farmlands. According to the Ter Consortium and the environmental organization La Sorollona, ​​the collapse removes a historical barrier on the river and allows for the restoration of river connectivity in an area of ​​high ecological value. However, the effects of the water have been most noticeable in the municipalities of Torroella de Montgrí, Sierra de Daró, and Gualta, which have been almost completely cut off due to the flooding of the main access roads. According to Meteocat, it was the rainiest day in Torroella in the last 20 years.

Back to normal

However, as the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat) had predicted, the rain began to subside around midday, the flow of the Onyar River decreased, and the alert shifted towards the Mediterranean Sea, in the Empordà region. Civil Protection issued a new ES-Alert in the afternoon, this time only for the Alt and Baix Empordà areas, extending mobility restrictions until midnight, with the aim of restoring "normality" in schools by Wednesday.

The Catalan Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, indicated that the rainfall was already subsiding, but that it was necessary to be extra vigilant in the areas where the main tributaries of the Ter River flow. "This also guarantees minimizing risks on the roads," she added, given the significant damage to the C-31, with flooded areas between Ullà and Torroella de Montgrí, and to the C-25 in Vilobí de Onyar heading towards Lleida. Regarding traffic, the easterly winds are affecting about twenty roads due to rain and another ten due to snow. The N-260 in Llançà and the C-260 near Roses have been closed, and the R11 commuter rail line between Caldes de Malavella and Figueres has been suspended due to a fallen tree; an alternative bus service is being offered. This afternoon, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) had to evacuate around 30 people from a train after a tree fell on the overhead power lines in Fornells de la Selva. All passengers escaped unharmed, and the Generalitat Fire Department escorted them to vehicles that took them away from the area.

Meanwhile, high-speed rail service between Girona and Figueres was suspended for a few hours due to flooding after a train was temporarily trapped in a tunnel with 130 passengers on board, who were transferred to another train.