Andalusia begins calculating the millions in losses caused by the storms

BarcelonaMuch of the Iberian Peninsula is experiencing the effects of Marten, the fourteenth Atlantic storm of this winter, when the devastation caused by the Leonardowhich has left two dead and 11,000 displaced from their homes in Andalusia alone. Especially in Extremadura, Castile and above all in Andalusia, Marten has caused new evacuations and more flooding, foreshadowing economic losses in the millions, according to the president of the regional government, Juanma Moreno.

The new round of rain from Marten The regional government is maintaining its emergency resources on "extreme vigilance" regarding the situation at dams, riverbeds, and roads. The ground is already saturated and has no more capacity to absorb water. As a precaution, water releases have been intensified to make room for the expected rainfall. In Andalusia alone, at least 11,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, mostly between Cádiz and Málaga due to rising river levels. In the case of Grazalema, which was completely evacuated on Wednesday, the evacuation was due to the risk of rockfalls on which the houses are built. A return date cannot be determined until technicians can assess the effects of the rainfall on the ground, although it is unlikely to be before Wednesday.

From Córdoba, Bonilla announced that he will request aid from the State Contingency Fund and the EU Solidarity Fund, because there will be "millions of euros in losses" to the region's production system and infrastructure. He will also ask for the European funds to be "reprogrammed and made more flexible" so they can be used to assist those affected by these rains. He estimated the damage to the regional road network alone at around 500 million euros, while also emphasizing that the effects on agriculture—with 75% of the agricultural land affected—could reach 3 billion euros. "We will work to mobilize all the budgetary resources at our disposal," Moreno stressed, adding that he believes the full extent of the damage will have to wait until next week, once the series of storms has passed, presumably on Tuesday. In the Andalusian region, the risk of heavy rainfall and landslides has forced the evacuation of some 11,000 residents, according to the latest data. The worst situations are in the provinces of Cádiz and Málaga, where dams and riverbeds are being monitored, with preventative releases causing a sudden rise in the flow of rivers such as the Guadalquivir and the Guadalete. In the city of Córdoba, residents are holding their breath, hoping that the Guadalquivir will not overflow its banks and cause flooding in the city, as it is expected to reach its peak level tomorrow, Sunday. If it's raining on already saturated ground in Andalusia, the same is true in Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, and Extremadura. Marten The water and snow have complicated road traffic. The most tragic outcome is the death of a firefighter while patrolling the Campo Maior area, near the border with Badajoz, and that of a road maintenance worker in Ávila, after the snowplow he was driving plunged down a 20-meter slope at the Pico pass. In Portugal, the alert has also been maintained in thirteen districts and along the entire coast of the country, which celebrates [a national holiday/evening] tomorrow. the second round of the presidential electionsAuthorities have evacuated 1,200 people living near rivers.

From Madrid, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez chaired the meeting of the Risk Assessment Unit, which is monitoring the storms. Civil Protection officials briefed him on the current situation and the actions being taken in response to this climate emergency, as well as the coordination efforts with the various public administrations and agencies involved in its management. On his Twitter account, Sánchez stated that he is "closely monitoring the storms."