Spain’s flood-hit areas brace for new storms

Valencia official warns impact of new rainfall could be severe due to the amount of mud already on the ground from the previous storm.

People in flood-hit areas of Spain are bracing for a new weather front expected to bring heavy rain, two weeks after the worst floods in Spain’s modern history killed more than 200 people.

Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, issued an orange alert on Tuesday, the second-highest level, for heavy or torrential rains in the eastern Valencia region, which was hit hard by a previous storm on October 29.

The official death toll from the floods stands at 222 people, after a year’s worth of rain fell within hours.

Rosa Tauris, a spokesperson for Valencia’s emergency committee, told reporters that the impact of the expected rainfall could be severe due to the amount of mud already on the ground from the previous floods and the conditions of the sewage system.

The emergency committee issued a special warning calling on municipalities and organisations to take preventative measures, including closing schools.