AN unprecedented crisis is unfolding in Cadiz province where mass evacuations are underway and dams are being forced open to prevent catastrophic failure.
Andalucian president Juanma Moreno has issued a stark warning to residents, admitting the region faces an ‘unprecedented situation’ and telling the public: ‘I ask you to be worried.’
The emergency is centred on the Guadalete river basin, where reservoirs have reached their absolute limits following the deluge brought by Storm Leonardo.
In a desperate bid to manage the water levels, authorities have authorised an ‘extraordinary release’ from the Arcos de la Frontera and Bornos dams.
Water is currently being blasted out of the Arcos dam at a rate of 700 cubic metres per second.
The situation is so critical that heavy machinery and retro-excavators have been deployed to the dam infrastructure to physically force the floodgates open or widen channels, as standard mechanisms struggled to cope with the torrent arriving from Grazalema.
More than 1,000 residents have already been evacuated from their homes in Arcos de la Frontera.
Downstream in Jerez de la Frontera, a further 900 people have been ordered to leave rural neighbourhoods including Las Pachecas, La Barca and Guadalcacin.
Civil protection authorities have activated the ES-ALERT system, sending loud emergency warnings to mobile phones across Arcos, Bornos, Jerez and El Puerto de Santa Maria.
President Moreno, visiting the affected zone in Jerez, did not mince his words regarding the danger.
“We are living through a circumstance never seen before,” he told reporters.
“The ground is absolutely saturated. It can’t swallow any more water, it doesn’t drain anymore, it just spits it out.”
He issued a direct threat of fines and sanctions to anyone ignoring evacuation orders or approaching the water to take photos.
“Please, let no one approach rivers or streams because your life is in danger,” he said.
“Evacuation is not a recommendation, it is an obligation. Anyone who does not comply will face administrative reproach.”
The sheer volume of water—nearly 600mm in Grazalema—has caused infrastructure to buckle.
A massive sinkhole has reportedly opened on the road bridge between Villamartin and Bornos due to a landslide.
Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit (UME) has been deployed to help clear blocked routes, including the road between Grazalema and Villaluenga del Rosario.
Meteorologists warn that the instability is far from over, with another ‘atmospheric river’ expected to bring a new train of storms to the peninsula early next week.
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