The torrential rains, which have left 243 liters per square meter (l/m2) in Mas de Barberans (Montsià), in the Ebro Delta, where not so much water has fallen in a day for 23 years, have caused floods that have cut highways and train tracks and have forced the rescue of 12 people, although it has not caused any injuries.
The isolated depression at high levels (DANA), which flooded the south of Catalonia between last night and this noon, lowered its intensity early this Sunday afternoon, after leaving historical records in some parts of this community, especially in Terres de l'Ebre.
The intense rains, after three years of drought in Catalonia, have caused in the Terres de l'Ebre that some streets and streams have become rivers at times, with the power of the water dragging containers and some vehicles, and that the AP -7 has been flooded in Ulldecona (Montsià).
The Generalitat Firefighters have safely rescued twelve people, ten trapped in their vehicles in areas flooded by water, due to the torrential rains in the Ebro Delta, according to the head of intervention, Inspector Oriol Corbella.
The other two people rescued, also safe and sound, are two residents of L'Aldea, in the Ebro Delta, who had to be evacuated from their home last night when the roof of their house collapsed due to the rain.
In a first provisional assessment, Corbella explained that the Fire Department teams that are on the ground x-raying the area have so far found 18 buildings damaged by water, although they are not in danger of structural collapse.
In addition, the water has also damaged 13 infrastructures, such as walkways, roads and bridges, but this number could increase because the Bombers are still counting, a task that could end tonight.
The Fire Department maintain fifty trucks in the area to remove water, especially from flooded ground floors or parking lots, after torrential rains have flooded the streams of various towns, such as Alcanar (Montsià), which has affected housing estates and homes from the area.
According to Corbella, the Firefighters are now working to return to normal, because when it has stopped raining the floods have stopped growing, the streams are decreasing in intensity and they no longer have new alerts.
Civil Protection, which had asked the residents of Alcanar not to leave the house in the morning, lifted the confinement after two in the afternoon, although it recommended restricting mobility in the areas affected by the floods and avoiding the coast due to the strong waves .
According to the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (SMC), between Saturday and 1 p.m. this Sunday -when the rains have begun to subside- 243 l/m2 of water have accumulated in Mas de Barberans, 187.9 this Sunday, a a figure that had not been recorded in a single day in this population since October 23, 2000 -with 286.6-, in an exceptional episode that left 443.4 l/m2 between October 22 and 23 of that year.
In Alcanar, also in the Ebro Delta, 218 l/m2 have accumulated - 206 of them this Sunday -, the second largest figure in the last 32 years, only surpassed by September 1, 2021, when a heavy downpour caused several damages after falling 251.9 l/m2.
Most of the points with the greatest accumulation of water between yesterday and today are concentrated in the Tarragona districts of Montsià, Baix Ebre, Ribera d'Ebre, Priorat and Terra Alta, in areas such as Els Ports Natural Park -201 l/m2 - and towns like Santa Bárbara -200-, Ulldecona -159-, Tivissa -136-, L'Ametlla de Mar -118-, El Masroig -111-, Benissanet -92- Amposta -87-, El Perelló -80-, Alcover -79-, Horta de Sant Joan -77- and Gandesa -65-.
The storm has also caused a power cut in Senia, in the Tarragona region of Montsià, which has affected 1,684 subscribers.
The accumulated water on the road has forced traffic on the AP-7 highway in Ulldecona -in a stretch of 14 kilometers to Freginals-, as well as the N-340 road in Amposta, to be cut for an hour during the morning TP-3311, between Galera and Godall, and TV-3443, in Alcanar, although they have already been able to reopen, so only the C-12, between Tortosa and Amposta, remains closed in the afternoon.
The heavy rains also forced the suspension of the rail service in the Mediterranean Corridor from the different origins, for which reason the trains were diverted from Valencia and Alicante via Madrid to Barcelona and from Figueres also via Madrid to Alicante and Valencia.
In addition, traffic has also been suspended between L'Aldea-Amposta and Ulldecona, in Tarragona, the Euromed Alicante-Barcelona has stopped in Oropesa, while the Media Distancia Valencia-Tortosa in Ulldecona (Tarragona) has moved back in Benicarló and the Intercity Torre del Oro between Barcelona and Cádiz in Aldea-Amposta.
