Rain in Spain: Council orders evacuation of homes in Murcia amid fears of floods as Storm Alice brings massive rainfall
Homes have been evacuated in Murcia, Spain, as Storm Alice has hit bringing heavy rainfall.
Cartagena council has ordered the precautionary evacuation of some Mar Menor area properties in Murcia amidst fears of floods. The Villas Caravanning site by Paraiso beach comes under the order along with the Bahia Bella urbanisation next to Los Urrutias which has around 600 properties.
Also affected are homes at La Algameca. Civil Protection vehicles passed through Villas Caravanning appealing to residents to leave their homes. The council has deployed two buses to take people to shelter at the municipal facility on the Cabezo Beaza industrial estate,
The La Manga and Cabo de Palos areas of south-east Murcia have already accumulated 120 litres of rain so far on Friday. The state forecaster Aemet has a red extreme weather alert in place for the Campo de Cartagena and Mazarron areas of Murcia until 11.59pm.
“We are entering the most adverse hours of the bad weather as accumulated rainfall is beginning to be significant,” said Víctor Ruiz Alvarez, from the FrostSE Meteorological Association. Its station at Cabo de Palos recorded a total 143 litres per m2 of rain up to noon.
Up to midday, Murcia’s 112 emergency service has received 101 calls- most of them in Cartagena. According to the regional government, no incidents have been reported at educational centres or on public transport routes.
According to Aemet, the country’s weather agency, the peak of Storm Alice is set to hit Spain today (Friday 10 October) and tomorrow (Saturday 11 October). Extreme rain is expected to hit popular locations.
Aemet warns: “The peak days of the storm are expected on Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th, with northeasterly winds reaching their peak intensity. The heaviest showers are expected in Valencia, Alicante, and Murcia, where they will be locally very strong, likely torrential, with accumulated rainfall exceeding 140 mm in 12 hours, most likely in the province of Valencia.”