Two seriously injured and activation of the UME due to the historic rainstorm in the Pitiusas
On the island of Ibiza, more than 250 l/m² has fallen in just a few hours, a record for rainfall in a single day in the capital.
BarcelonaThe storm hit the Pitiusas Islands hard on Tuesday, especially the island of Ibiza, where in just a few hours more than 250 l/m² accumulated at the official Aemet station in the capital. This is a new record, as never before on record has so much rain fallen in a single day in the town of Ibiza. Historic downpours caused two serious injuries in Ibiza, according to a statement from the city council. One of them is an elderly person who fell into a drain while trying to cross the street. No other personal injuries have been reported as a result of the downpours, which caused flooding and numerous incidents, turning the streets into veritable rivers. Emergency services were overwhelmed by the extent of the storm, and the Balearic Government had to request assistance from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) to deal with the damage. The first personnel arrived in Ibiza from the mainland on Tuesday afternoon.
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Furthermore, the intensity of the rain was torrential, with a notable 35 l/m² of rainfall in just 15 minutes in the Ibizan capital. This prompted Aemet to activate a red alert for several hours in Ibiza and Formentera, and ES-Alert messages were sent to mobile phones in the area. It should be noted that the alerts came when the rainfall was already very significant and flooding was occurring, with most of the population at work or at school. There were road closures, delays at the airports of Ibiza and Mallorca, and the Balearic Ministry of Education and Universities suspended all classes on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera. Parents were initially asked not to pick up their children from school for safety reasons, as most roads were affected.
There were also at least fifteen rescues of people trapped in floodwaters and elevators, and many power outages and water leaks in public facilities and other installations. The Balearic Government activated Level 2 of the Inunbal plan on the island of Ibiza due to the severe storm. The situation worsened overnight, and today the storm is already history. However, this Wednesday, extensive repair work is underway to repair the serious damage caused by the rain.
The irregularity of the rainfall is also notable, as while in the town of Ibiza over 250 l/m² fell, at the airport in the same municipality it accumulated just over 170 l/m². In the north of the island, the amounts were even lower, and in Formentera they slightly exceeded 110 l/m² in a very static storm centered in the municipality of Ibiza. In the south of Mallorca, there were also some early morning showers that caused some incidents, leaving between 15 and 30 l/m². In contrast, the north of Mallorca and the island of Menorca have been spared by the storm.
Three-day storm report
All of this is the result of the effects of the hurricane. Gabrielle, which has now become a storm, has driven easterly winds laden with humidity and instability across our Mediterranean region in recent days. The heavy downpour began on Sunday in Terres de l'Ebre and continued on Monday in this area and in the Valencian Community, with downpours, record levels, and numerous incidents. Between Sunday and Monday, the rainfall left more than 100 or 200 l/m², especially in Baix Ebre and Montsià, but the extraordinary 306 l/m² accumulated in Amposta stands out. The meteorological stations in this municipality, L'Aldea, and the Alfacs recorded Monday as the wettest day in the more than 30 years of record-keeping.
It has also rained heavily in the Valencian Community. On the coast and pre-coast of Valencia and Castellón, over 100 l/m² of rainfall has accumulated in many places over the past two days, but locally it reached 200 l/m², such as in La Safor. Most of the rain fell on Monday, as Tuesday's rainfall was ultimately less intense and widespread than expected. On Monday, the Saleta ravine in l'Horta Sud, one of the areas most affected during last year's DANA, overflowed its banks. However, this situation was nothing like the catastrophe of a year ago. The storm took its final swipe in the Balearic Islands on Tuesday and has passed today, with the return of calm and sunshine to most areas.