Powerful storm Gloria has battered much of eastern Spain.
The Balearic Islands and the region around Valencia were the worst-hit on Monday, with heavy flooding and strong winds causing havoc. More than 30 provinces in Spain were put on high alert. The storm later moved into southern France.A violent storm that has ravaged parts of Spain with heavy rain and violent winds has left at least 13 people dead.
Spanish authorities said four people were still missing after Storm Gloria triggered floods and swept away roads.On Thursday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez flew over some of the worst-hit eastern areas and visited Majorca which has been battered by huge waves. The government is to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to coordinate a response.Mr. Sanchez told reporters there would be “no scrimping on any resource or effort”.
Mr. Sanchez said climate change had played a part in the severe storm. Storm Gloria swept into the Balearic Islands – which include the holiday island of Majorca – last weekend with torrential rain whipped up by winds of 100km/h Huge waves forced some residents to evacuate their homes while rivers burst their banks and boats were torn from their moorings and washed on to beaches.
Authorities said the death toll could rise further with four people still missing in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.Conditions are easing as the storm passed over the country although several rivers in the north-east burst their banks on Thursday.Storm Gloria also battered Pyrénées-Orientales, France’s southernmost Mediterranean department, which has been placed on high alert.
Catalan’s Interior Minister confirmed that 64 people had been injured in the storm as it finally looked set to ebb on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile on the mainland in Catalonia, authorities warned of an “historic catastrophe” as wetlands in the Ebro delta disappeared under seawater.Satellite images revealed the extent of the flooding as 320 square hectares of the delta disappeared underwater.The fragile ecosystem containing rice paddies, sand dunes, and riverside woodland has suffered severe damage during Storm Gloria as it battered Spain’s east coast for the fourth day.
Storm Gloria which is now moving north into France has left disaster in its wake as it swept across the eastern part of the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Javea on the Costa Blanca was among the worst affected in the Valencia region.
Farther inland, residents began the process of digging themselves out after heavy snowfalls that left villages cut off from assistance. Since last weekend, the eastern coast of Spain has been regularly hit by winds that reached over 60 miles per hour, the strongest in the country since 1992, according to the Spanish weather service.
Wind speeds in parts of eastern Spain reached 115 kilometers per hour on Monday (about 70 miles per hour). Schools and other public services were largely closed. The storm is not expected to let up until at least Wednesday. Spain has suffered an unusually harsh winter, with several killed at the end of last year in similarly extreme weather. A violent storm that has ravaged parts of Spain with heavy rain and violent winds has left at least 13 people dead.
Death toll climbs in wake of Storm Gloria, which pounded Spain with massive waves, heavy snow, and flooding.
Rainfall began to increase across eastern Spain from Sunday into Monday with the Balearic Islands enduring the brunt of the storm. Majorca was lashed by strong winds of 65-80 km/h (40-50 mph) and heavy rainfall. Pounding surf also caused coastal flooding across the islands.
Address: Muracan Street 18
Getazat village
Tel: 0037494908326
E-mail: lenahakobyan826@yahoo.com
Skype: lena.hakobyan10