The state meteorology agency Aemet recorded “extraordinary accumulations” of rain from DANA in Valencia, with some municipalities receiving 300 liters of water per square meter in just a few hours, “practically what can rain in a full year”as noted on the social network X.
For its part, the records from the Valencia station indicate that on Tuesday, October 29, 445.4 liters per square meter fell, the highest recorded in 24 hours in this region since September 11, 1966, when 520 lm/ 2 in Tavernes de la Val.
It is the deadliest disaster due to bad weather that has been recorded in Spain since August 1996, when 86 people died due to torrential rains that devastated a campsite in the province of Huesca.
This is “an unprecedented phenomenon,” Defense Minister Margarita Robles told reporters, noting that the army is mobilizing canine units to search for bodies, portable morgues and psychologists to care for the victims.
The government sent more than 1,000 troops to the Military Emergency Unit, specialized in rescue missions, to Valencia to support local relief services.
More rain is predicted in Valencia and will move to Catalonia
The Aemet has warned for this Wednesday, October 30, that very strong showers and storms will be recorded in the northern half, which They will continue until Thursday and will subside from south to north during the afternoon. In fact, the regional government of Catalonia has launched a severe weather warning in the province of Barcelona.given the forecast of wind gusts of more than 90 kilometers per hour and hail more than two centimeters in diameter.
Climate change would be responsible for tragedy in Valencia
Scientists warn that extreme weather events, such as heat waves and storms, are becoming more intense due to climate change. “We are on a warmer planet with more energy availability. Precipitation patterns are altering in our territory. Several studies point to more torrential rains“, indicated the Aemet.
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, expressed this Wednesday his “shocker” at the intense storm in Spain, and called for “more international unity” to face “the devastating effects of the climate crisis.”
“The images of the rains in Spain cause fear and unite us in solidarity with the Spanish people,” said the progressive president in a message shared on his social networks.
Lula attributed the disaster in Spain to the “devastating” effects of the climate crisis, which has also severely hit “Brazil and other countries” this year.
Last May, a similar phenomenon, with heavy rainfall above the historical average, devastated the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul (south), where some 180 people died and many cities, including Porto Alegre, the regional capital, were flooded. by water for weeks.
In this context, the Brazilian head of state stressed that “more unity” of the international community is necessary to “stop” the advance of the climate crisis.
The progressive leader has called in various international forums to establish global governance to effectively comply with international climate agreements. “The planet is tired of carbon reduction goals and aid to the poorest countries that never arrives,” while 2024 “is on track to be the hottest year in modern history” and the world is investing “increasingly in wars,” Lula remarked last September during his speech before the UN General Assembly in New York.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, expressed himself in a similar sense, saying that “Climate collapse in Spain means not stopping the fossil economy. We know that the consumption of oil, coal and gas can exterminate life in the short term, but it doesn’t matter to the powers of the world, until humanity reacts.”
The climate collapse in Spain, this happens by not stopping the fossil economy. We know that the consumption of oil, coal and gas can exterminate life in the short term, but it does not matter to the powers of the world until humanity reacts. pic.twitter.com/xc0DpfFj8X
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 30, 2024
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Source: https://www.noticiascaracol.com/mundo/por-dana-en-valencia-en-algunas-zonas-llovio-lo-que-se-preve-para-un-ano-completo-cb20