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Heavy rain and flooding in eastern Spain have killed at least four people and forced thousands to evacuate. Rescuers have saved people stranded on rooftops and inside homes, AnewZ reported.
On Monday, rivers overflowed along the Mediterranean coast, streets were inundated and several communities were cut off. Storm Adam recalled the floods in the Valencia region in 2024 that killed more than 230 people.
Flood deaths and rescue operations
Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE reported that two people died in the city of Oliva on Monday. Regional broadcaster A Punt said personnel from Spain’s Military Emergency Unit found a woman’s body. A man staying at a campsite in the same city also died.
Two more women died over the weekend. One was found on Sagunto beach in the Valencia region, while the other was swept away by floodwaters in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona.
More than 2,000 people, mainly in Oliva, have been evacuated. The Civil Guard said about 100 rescue operations had been carried out in the Valencia and Alicante regions.
Oliva Deputy Mayor Salvador Llopis told TVE that rescuers had helped people trapped in their homes, particularly older residents surrounded by water up to their waists. Some residents climbed onto tables and furniture to stay above the floodwaters, he said.
In Els Poblets, northeast of Alicante, cars were piled on top of one another as residents tried to salvage belongings from flooded homes. Local chef Javier Fornes described the village’s situation as a disaster and said some people had lost everything again, as they did in an event in 2007.
More than 500 millimeters of rain in several areas
Spain’s national weather agency, AEMET, said Storm Adam had brought exceptional rainfall to the country’s east. The town of Pego in Alicante province recorded 632 millimeters of rain in 36 hours. Several areas of southern Valencia and northern Alicante received more than 500 millimeters during the same period.
AEMET issued red alerts for several areas, urging residents to avoid travel and move to higher ground.
Regional authorities told about 800,000 people to stay home on Monday morning. By the end of the day, the order covered 87,000 people in eight municipalities. Classes were suspended for more than 100,000 students in the Valencia region.
The storm was expected to move toward Catalonia on Monday afternoon, particularly the provinces of Barcelona and Girona. More than 100 millimeters of rain could fall in those areas in less than 12 hours. Authorities said the ground was already saturated by previous storms, increasing the risk of flooding.
