MADRID – Helicopters rescued people stranded on their rooftops as torrential rains swept across eastern Spain on Monday, causing floods that have killed at least two people and prompted authorities to issue shelter-in-place orders for more than 800,000 residents.
The downpour from Storm Adam cut off several towns along the Mediterranean coast as rivers burst their banks and streets turned into torrents, leaving scenes reminiscent of the catastrophic flooding that killed more than 230 people in the Valencia region two years ago.
According to local officials, the bodies of two women who had drowned were found over the weekend.
One of the bodies was washed up on a beach in Sagunto, Valencia, while the other woman died after being swept away by floodwaters in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona.
Meteorologists say human-driven climate change makes such extreme weather events more frequent and destructive.
The mayor of Pego, Enrique Moll, told regional radio station A Punt that several people were still waiting to be evacuated by helicopter from their rooftops.
All access routes to the town were blocked and even heavy-duty military vehicles were unable to move forward in some areas, he added.
The deputy mayor of the coastal town of Oliva, Salvador Llopis, told state broadcaster TVE on Monday that emergency services were rescuing trapped residents, particularly elderly people stuck inside their homes with water up to their waists.
“They have to stay on top of tables and furniture to avoid getting wet,” he said, adding that the rains had started to ease after causing extensive damage to infrastructure.
National weather agency AEMET said conditions were “extremely adverse”. Rainfall in some areas has exceeded 600 mm (24 inches) over 48 hours, the most recorded since 1987. AEMET issued several red alerts, warning local people to avoid all travel and to seek higher ground.
More than 100,000 students in Valencia have had classes suspended due to the alerts, while the central government has deployed emergency units from the military and national police.
