Storm report for the Empordà region: flooded fields, isolated villages and damaged beaches

Girona48 hours after the easterly wind that has severely battered the Girona region, with one fatality in Palau-Sator and one tragic train accident in GelidaThe cleanup, reconstruction, and damage assessment efforts have begun. Along the entire Costa Brava coastline, beaches are covered in sand and driftwood, while across the Baix Ter plain in the Empordà region, many apple, corn, and rice fields remain flooded due to the overflowing river, with some secondary roads still closed. The towns most affected by the Ter's flooding, as usual, are those closest to its mouth. Ullà, Torroella de Montgrí, Estartit, Gualta, Verges, and Serra de Daró were isolated throughout Tuesday due to large pools of water on the roads and roundabouts leading into and out of the towns. This is the area where the river runs at its fullest, as it receives the entire flow of the Onyar River, which, as it passes through Girona, was carrying a significant volume of water, reaching within meters of the famous colorful houses in the city center. And also the Daró stream, a dry riverbed that in the early hours of Tuesday was flowing at 500 m³/s through La Bisbal d'Empordà. This causes the water to flow along the slopes and cover fields and roads, without affecting the town centers, which are slightly elevated and farther from the streambeds, but leaving mobility completely disrupted.

Jordi Colomí, mayor of Torroella de Montgrí and L'Estartit, a town of almost 14,000 permanent residents, denounces the situation: "We have a problem with the road design. They should be raised by thirty or forty centimeters. The Department of Territory agrees, but is encountering negative reports from the AC (Association of Road Users). The solution is unacceptable: in the 21st century, we are so frequently isolated. In a municipality like Torroella and L'Estartit, with a primary care center, a high school, and primary schools, this is very worrying," he states.

Crops full of dirt and broken irrigation systems

Farmers in the Empordà region have indeed suffered material damage, the economic impact of which is still being assessed. Crops were submerged during the growing season and, if the water doesn't recede quickly in the coming days, could be lost entirely. The problem, however, isn't just the damage to the crops, but the state the fields will be in when they dry out: full of reeds, trees, mud, and plastic sheeting, with broken pumps and irrigation systems. "Water doesn't hurt a dry field as much, but it comes with such force that it has left behind a huge amount of debris that will take a lot of work to remove," explains Albert Grassot, a rice farmer from Pals.

Now is the time to work the land and prepare the fields for planting rice in April, but in Lake Pals, which was dry until this week, there were 4 meters of water on Tuesday. Two days later, it has barely dropped by 60 centimeters, as the sea remains very rough and the waves are making it difficult for the irrigation ditches to drain the water.

Farmers criticize lack of prevention

Faced with this situation, farmers lament the lack of foresight in preventing such events: "The drainage ditches are the same as they were thirty years ago. They haven't been touched, and now there are many more meters of concrete in industrial parks and housing developments that don't retain the water. This causes it to run off much faster, and the riverbeds haven't been cleaned. These episodes are more frequent, and yet fewer actions have been taken than before," criticizes Grassot. The Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, visited the Baix Ter region yesterday, met with mayors and irrigation communities, and pledged to mobilize all the necessary resources to restore normalcy as soon as possible.

Coastal cleaning work

The coastal towns, for their part, have suffered the impact of the storm's waves, compounded by the force of the rivers and streams that flow into the sea. The swell hasn't damaged promenades or tourist establishments as in other storms, but it has left behind large amounts of sediment and plant debris, with significant sand loss on stretches of beach in municipalities such as Sant Antoni de Calonge, Playa de Aro, Blanes, and Tossa de Mar. "We are strictly cleaning up. We were on the verge of serious damage, but since many establishments along the promenade are already used to it, when they close at the end of October they prepare planks and stainless steel partitions. Today things are somewhat back to normal," explains Martí Pujals, mayor of Tossa. Further north, in the Alt Empordà region, the easterly winds particularly affected L'Escala, especially the Empúries area, and also Cadaqués, where waves covered the shore of Es Poal and water rushed down from Cap de Creus through the stream and steep streets, some of them quite steep. In the city of Girona, the flow of the Onyar River has already decreased, and businesses and residents along its banks have returned to normal. Preventative measures, such as the removal of sediment a few days prior, were key to avoiding any damage. Meanwhile, the City Council is carrying out emergency work to stabilize the slope at the end of Carrer del Carme, which was affected by a landslide, with the expectation of reopening the road to traffic shortly.