A "surprise" storm punishes the Vallès and the Barcelonès

BarcelonaWith the Catalan coast and pre-coastal areas still recovering from the effects of the weekend's downpour, the storm has once again punished Barcelona and its surroundings this Monday with another extremely strong storm that took everyone by surprise and at times caused truly dangerous situations. The Minister of Interior herself, Núria Parlon, has acknowledged that the situation caught them off guard because, although a situation of atmospheric instability was expected, an episode of this magnitude was not anticipated. In addition to numerous ravages, the downpours have left two people missing whom emergency teams continue to search for.

The fact that the unpredictability of the storm and the most intense rains were concentrated in the early hours of the morning has multiplied the incidents in some of the most populated areas of the country. The downpour was especially difficult to handle for land already saturated by the liters and liters of water absorbed in recent days. Cities like Granollers –one of the epicenters of the storm– have accumulated almost 350 liters per square meter since Saturday. In Barcelona, more than 200 liters have also fallen in recent days. And the forecast is that in the coming days there will be even more rain throughout the country.

The torrential downpours, which have once again pushed the flow of some rivers to the limit, have caused a multitude of incidents. The 112 emergency service received more than a thousand calls during a morning in which firefighters had to rescue 44 people, many of whom were trapped in vehicles. Mobility has once again suffered the effects of a storm that has left a good part of the Rodalies commuter rail service out of operation for hours and has also forced the closure of several roads, including the Ronda de Dalt. It is the fourth time in a few weeks that it has been necessary to close part of this key artery for entering and leaving Barcelona. The metro network has also been affected by the rain, with several cuts on different lines that lasted until the afternoon.

With rainwater storage tanks working at full capacity to prevent flooding on the city's streets, the worst part of the storm in the Catalan capital was once again borne by the mountain neighborhoods such as Torre Baró or Sant Genís dels Agudells. In total, about fifty landslides of varying intensity have been registered. In Font del Gos, six houses were even evacuated preventively to avoid further harm.

The downpours, which have fallen on terrain already heavily saturated with water from the heavy weekend rains, have had a full impact on the country's mobility. Rodalies had started operating with sections of the R1, R2, R4 and the R7, R8 and R11 lines without rail circulation, and has enabled alternative road service. This Tuesday, lines with disruptions are still expected, such as the R1, the R2 North or the R11. The scenario has been very complicated throughout the morning, with constant service cuts and reopenings. At midday, when the storm hit the Maresme with greater force, it was also necessary to completely cut the R1.

Also on the roads, the situation was critical throughout the morning, with several roads cut off due to the presence of water and long queues and traffic jams. Among the roads where it was necessary to restrict traffic are the B-140 in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, the BV-5159 between la Roca del Vallès and Vilanova del Vallès and the C-1415a in Castellar del Vallès due to landslides.

Problems with essential services

In addition to mobility, heavy rains have also caused many problems in essential services such as schools and hospitals. In the Catalan capital, about thirty educational centers have suffered significant disruptions and two have had to suspend their activity. This Tuesday, three educational centers will not be able to open due to the effects of the storm. These are two adult education centers – the Jaume Tuset in Ripollet and the Vallès in Granollers – and the El Garbí nursery school in Sant Adrià de Besòs.

Regarding healthcare centers, the greatest impact has been at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital, where it was necessary to relocate several services, without having to stop any of them. Also, at the Blanes Hospital, the radiology area for magnetic resonance imaging was partially affected, and the Josep Trueta in Girona has its helicopter based at the hospital center affected.

The electrical grid has also suffered the ravages of the water. At six in the evening, there were still more than 10,000 residents without power in the regions of Barcelonès, Vallès Oriental, Vallès Occidental, Maresme, and Baix Llobregat.

Two missing persons

Emergency teams are currently focusing on the search for two people who went missing during the storm. The first is a young man who reportedly slipped this Sunday into a ravine in Pineda de Mar. Two independent witnesses give "total plausibility" to this version, assured the President of the Government, Salvador Illa. The search, which began on Sunday and continued this Monday, focuses on combing the coast of Pineda, as the ravine was very close to the sea. Police sources point out that no missing person report has been filed yet. According to the same sources, this does not mean that his disappearance is not real. The hypothesis that this person might have managed to get out on his own is also not ruled out.

The second disappearance being investigated by the police is that of a 12-year-old boy who was reported missing on Saturday night in Granollers. His name is Rami, he is 1.73 meters tall, and the police have shared a photograph of him to ask for the public's help. He is a boy with autism who, according to sources consulted by ARA, got scared by the thunder and ran out of the house. The same sources note that he had done this before.

Catastrophic zone and €75 million

Given this scenario, the Minister of Interior, Núria Parlon, announced this Monday that the Government is considering asking the State executive to declare the municipalities affected by the recent downpours as a disaster zone.

Furthermore, the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has announced that the executive council will approve this Tuesday a first package of extraordinary aid for those affected by the torrential rains, with a total amount of 75 million euros. Of these, 20 million will be direct subsidies to city councils so they can repair damaged municipal facilities, buildings, and infrastructure.