Ben Pawlowski
RESIDENTS in Catalunya have been sent an emergency alert on their mobile phones as the region braces for a torrential DANA to make landfall.
The message, sent by the Catalan Civil Protection unit, was sent at 2.30pm local time and reads: “CECAT: Risk of flooding due to torrential rain until 9pm. Avoid travel and outdoor activity. Do not go near rivers, streams or floodplains, avoid low-lying areas and basements. If water enters you, go up to higher floors. In case of emergency, call 112.”
State meteorological agency AEMET have issued a red weather warning for the region, meaning a severe risk to life.
Although initial warnings were orange and yellow, the forecast has deteriorated significantly, with Meteocat, Catalunya’s weather service, issuing a Level 5 and Level 6 warning – the highest level possible.
Localised rainfall could reach 40 litres per square metre as severe thunderstorms roll in.
A red weather alert has already been issued in Aragon.
Residents are fearful of a repeat of the devastating scenes seen last year in Valencia, where intense flooding caused the deaths of 232 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in Spanish history.
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