October 31, 2024
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The catastrophic floods in Spain have killed at least 95 people
Heavy rains, climate change has worsened, Spain has been hit, and Valencia has borne the brunt of the floods.
Cars are piled with other debris on the street in the Sedaví area of Valencia, Spain on October 30, 2024, after flash floods hit the region.
KLIMAWIRE | Floods in southeastern Spain have killed at least 95 people and left dozens missing, authorities said Thursday morning.
The country has been hit by heavy rains this week. The most affected region is the province of Valencia, where floods and landslides have washed away cars, roads and buildings.
“The process of recovering and identifying the victims begins” local authorities said on Wednesday.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered his condolences and support in a speech on Wednesday morning.
“On behalf of the Spanish Government and the whole of Spanish society, I want to express all our solidarity and affection to the families of those who died in this tragedy in the Community of Valencia and Castile-Mancha and to those who are still there. looking for their loved ones,” said Sánchez.
“We will help you with all the resources of the state. If necessary, the European Union”, he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the floods represented the “reality” of climate change.
“In just a few months, floods have hit Central and Eastern Europe, Italy and now Spain.” von der Leyen said on Wednesday. “This is the terrible reality of climate change, and we must prepare to deal with it in our Union and with all the tools at our disposal.”
The floods have caused major disruption to rail and air travel in the south and east of the country. A high-speed train with about 300 people came out near Malaga on Tuesday but railway authorities said there were no casualties.
“We are facing an unprecedented situation”, said Carlos Mazón, the head of the government of Valencia. he told reporters on Wednesday.
Disaster follows in Spain devastating floods At least two dozen people were killed in central Europe last month. The likelihood of such floods has greatly increased due to global warming, climatologists have warned.
More analysis of the specific storm would be needed to determine the impact of global warming on the heavy rain, said Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, a senior meteorologist in the state and a member of the Spanish Meteorological Association.
“We cannot say anything on the fly, except that these types of events will become more frequent and more intense in the context of climate change,” he said.
Camino said warning systems for extreme weather only measure precipitation. But he said the resulting death and destruction depended on all sorts of other factors, including local geography, flood defences, barriers to water and rainfall upstream.
“Between heavy rains and their destructive power, there is also a whole chain of actions that must be taken into account,” he said.
Reprinted E&E News Courtesy of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environmental professionals.
