By AFP - Agence France Presse
Why did the floods in Spain kill so many people?
Powerful storms driven by global warming, poor urban planning, and carelessness combined to have catastrophic consequences in Spain's deadliest floods in a generation, experts told AFP.
The European country's authorities have announced a provisional death toll of 158, and this is feared to rise as rescue teams search for bodies under rubble and mud.
- Exceptionally violent weather - Are you preparing for the event?
According to the national meteorological service AEMET, torrential rains drenched areas of eastern Valencia with a year's worth of rainfall in a matter of hours.
In Chiva, west of the coastal city of Valencia, 491 liters of rain per square meter (49.1 centimeters) were recorded.
The deluge was associated with a common storm phenomenon during the season: cold air traveling over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea forms heavy rain clouds.
Scientists say that man-made climate change is raising the temperatures of the world's waters and increasing the ferocity of storms.
Jorge Olcina, a climate expert at the University of Alicante, said the warmer Mediterranean and the time of year have fuelled torrential rains in a “dramatic” cocktail attributable to climate change.
When storms reach these levels, they can have a similar effect to “hurricanes” or “tropical cyclones,” Olcina added in an audio message sent to AFP.
- Dry and artificial soils - The dry and artificial soil
The parched soil in the worst-hit areas exacerbated the problem after Spain experienced two consecutive years of intense drought.
The soil was unable to absorb so much water, leading to flash floods that devastated villages.
The Valencia region is also covered by many areas where natural spaces have given way to impermeable concrete.
This urban development is “uncontrolled and poorly adapted to the natural characteristics of the territory,” increasing the danger of heavy storms, said Pablo Aznar from the Socioeconomic Observatory of Floods and Droughts.
The population density of the Valencia region, which is home to Spain's third largest city of the same name, with a population of almost 1.9 million, also contributed.
Population density “was a very important factor” and represented a “challenge” for the authorities, said Aznar.
- Peak times on the roads - You couldn't have chosen a more opportune moment for the storm.
The timing of the storm couldn't have been worse, as it arrived late on Tuesday when drivers were taking to the roads in the evening rush hour.
Many victims were caught unawares in their vehicles on their way home or in the street, with the raging waters ripping away some who were clinging to lampposts or trees.
These scenes could have been avoided if citizens had been warned in time to take shelter at home, according to Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at Reading University in Britain.
- Lack of care
AEMET issued a red alert for the Valencia region on Tuesday morning, but the civil protection service only sent out its telephone alerts advising people not to leave their homes after 8 pm (1900 GMT).
However, some people admitted that they left home even after receiving the alert, which suggests a misunderstanding of the emergency.
Although there have been “communication failures,” responsibility is shared because Spain does not have a “risk culture,” Aznar told AFP.
“Our collective mentality is not yet sufficiently adapted to the new extreme weather phenomena.”
Olcina agreed. “We have to greatly improve risk education in schools, but also throughout the population, so that they know how to act in the event of an immediate risk.”
vab/imm/rlp
Comentarios