Atlantic Storm: 11,000+ Displaced in Peninsula

BarcelonaMuch of the Peninsula is preparing for the arrival of a new Atlantic storm throughout this Saturday, when the damage caused by the Leonardowhich has left one woman dead in Malaga and 11,000 evicted from their homes in Andalusia alone. Today is the turn of Marta, which has 11 of the 17 autonomous communities on alert due to the risk of heavy rain, snow, wind. All in all, it arrives with the grounds completely soaked by the precipitation since December, the rivers at their maximum thresholds and the dams full.

In the Andalusian community, the risk of precipitation and landslides has forced the evacuation of around 11,000 residents, according to the latest data. Of these, 3,400 have occurred in the city of Jerez, in the province of Cádiz, where the small town of Grazalema also belongs. The residents of this locality had to leave it last Wednesday as a precaution because the authorities and experts are not clear if the constructions will withstand the pressure of the aquifer that is below the mountain town.

Throughout Andalusia, the storm Leonardo it has caused the closure of more than a hundred roads and the railway service is badly affected. Cádiz is the most damaged by road closures with 50 roads affected. In total, 152 suffer some kind of affectation, according to the latest balance sheet. On the other hand, the flooding of the Guadalquivir keeps Córdoba in suspense, at which point the flow has exceeded 5.5 meters, more than double the level marked by the red alert (2.5 meters). The increase in flow caused the Roman Bridge to be cut, according to the Efe news agency.

The Head of Coordination of the Hydrographic Confederation of the Guadalquivir (CHG) in Córdoba, Pedro Escribano, has warned that “the worst is yet to come”. More than 80 liters per square meter are expected to accumulate today in twelve hours in many parts of the territory.

Alerts have also been activated in Extremadura and the Government of the Junta maintains the current evacuations in different towns due to the storm and puts the town of Balboa (Badajoz) on notice, and does not rule out that it will have to order more throughout this afternoon in other municipalities.