The cruel storm ends with two dead, one missing and hundreds of rescues

BarcelonaThe violent storm that has hit a good part of Catalonia with force this weekend has left a toll of two deaths, a missing young man, and more than 200 rescues of trapped people, in addition to numerous material damages and many disruptions to the country's mobility. About twenty counties were on maximum alert and the Government restricted mobility and activities to minimize risks. Even so, two men have died and another remains missing; they have been searching for him all day, but they have not been successful and the search operation will continue this Monday with the daylight. It is a young man from Pineda de Mar who allegedly approached to look at the stream, slipped, and was dragged by the water, which was flowing with force spurred by the torrential rains.

Despite the numerous alerts that have been sent throughout the entire weekend and the restrictions decreed by the Government, the episode has resulted in at least two deaths. Early in the morning, a 65-year-old man died in Tordera due to the collapse of a wall at the Caravaning Internacional Costa Brava campsite, which gave way and seriously injured him, according to sources from the Generalitat Fire Department. Despite various resuscitation efforts, nothing could be done to save his life. The second death occurred in Montornès del Vallès, where emergency personnel found the lifeless body of a man in a flooded parking lot. The victim's circle was missing him and they were working with the hypothesis that there was a person inside.

The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, traveled this Sunday afternoon to Montornès del Vallès to check the effects of this weekend's storm on the ground and met with the family of the deceased man, to whom he conveyed his condolences. At 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, the president confirmed that the last restrictions that remained active in the Alt and Baix Empordà were being lifted due to an unusual storm because of the large amount of water accumulated in a good part of Catalonia. The strong storms have forced the Generalitat Fire Department to carry out up to 2,440 operations, including 226 rescue services, an exceptional figure. For this Monday, possible scattered rains are still expected on the coast, the pre-coast, and throughout the entire northeastern part of Catalonia.

This Monday, rescue efforts for the young man missing in Pineda de Mar will also continue. The Fire Department and the Mossos d'Esquadra have been searching for him since early this morning, when a witness alerted that a person had fallen into the stream and had been dragged by the current into the sea. There is no record of any missing person report being filed, but a second person witnessed it. The Fire Department has inspected the course of the stream throughout the day with six units, supported by the underwater team and drones from the aerial unit. A Maritime Rescue helicopter, a police boat from the Mossos, and Civil Guard officers on foot have also participated.

Flooding in hospitals and power outages

The storm has caused flooding at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital, left nearly 2,000 residents without power in several neighborhoods, and resulted in all parks and gardens being closed during the day as a precaution. Civil Protection explained that this Sunday morning there were 16,000 users without electricity supply in Catalonia, a figure that was reduced to 14,000 by the afternoon.

Barcelona City Council has inspected the city's more than 300 educational centers, and ultimately all will be able to return to their routine normally this Monday. However, the start of the week will not be normal for everyone outside the capital, and at least nine educational centers will be closed this Monday. Specifically, two schools, four high schools, two adult education centers (CFA), and an Official Language School (EOI) in the Maresme, Barcelonès, Vallès Oriental, and Vallès Occidental regions.

They are the Bellavista-Joan Camps i Giró School, in Les Franqueses del Vallès; the Guerau de Liost School, in the same municipality; the Ramon Turró i Darder High School in Malgrat de Mar; the Mercè Rodoreda High School in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat; the Professional Institute of Equestrian Tourism of Maresme in Santa Susanna; the Mediterrània High School in El Masnou; and the CFA Vallès, in Granollers, and Jaume Tuset, in Ripollet. And also the Official Language School of Vallès Oriental.

The storm has also had a full impact on the country's mobility, both in the different railway services and on the roads and the airport. At 10 p.m., there are still traffic closures and road sections affected by floods and landslides, and two Rodalies lines, the northern section of the R1 and the R11, will not be able to resume service early Monday morning due to the damage caused by the rain.

There will also be disruptions on the R2 North and R4 North lines, which in some sections will operate on a single track due to some landslides. In the Plaça Catalunya tunnel, teams continue to work with pumps to remove the accumulated water, and it will not be known until early tomorrow morning if it will be operational, although the forecast is that it will not end up causing problems for traffic.