In the city of Torrent, home to approximately 85,000 residents in the region of Orta-Sud, streets have been blanketed in mud following severe flooding. Several vehicles were either damaged or rendered inoperable, while emergency services successfully rescued 15 individuals trapped inside a fast-food restaurant that was rapidly inundated with water. Local inhabitants recounted to AFP that such flooding events have occurred previously, expressing frustration over the lack of engineering measures that could have mitigated the impact.
Residents also raised concerns regarding the timeliness of the Spanish emergency alert system, ES-Alert. A message dispatched at 10:08 PM by the regional emergency center advised the public to avoid travel, steer clear of riverbeds and ravines, and seek higher ground as water levels rose. However, many noted that this warning arrived only after streets, basements, and tunnels had already succumbed to flooding.
Weather Conditions and Impact
The torrential rains followed the hottest summer on record in Spain. The national meteorological agency, AEMET, along with regional forecasters, had issued prior warnings about heavy precipitation in the eastern parts of the country. In Torrent, the AVAMET network recorded nearly 96 liters of rainfall per square meter, with an astonishing 71 liters falling within just 30 minutes, described as “more than a downpour.”
The recent flooding also affected the Barranco del Poyo ravine and surrounding areas, including the neighboring town of Paiporta, where the stream’s bed rose significantly but did not overflow. Meanwhile, emergency crews continued their efforts to clear damaged roads and vehicles, striving to restore normalcy in the aftermath of the deluge.
