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UAE authorities issue fresh warning to citizens in Spain due to severe weather

The Met Department announced the end of the emergency for Valencia, but torrential rain struck Catalonia

Published: Mon 4 Nov 2024, 7:18 PM

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A flooded car is pictured in the Barcelona suburbs of Castelldefels on November 4, 2024 as torrential rain struck Catalonia. Photo: AFP

A flooded car is pictured in the Barcelona suburbs of Castelldefels on November 4, 2024 as torrential rain struck Catalonia. Photo: AFP

As Spain dreads more floods and deaths as rain pounds Catalonia, the UAE Mission in Madrid issued a fresh warning to citizens. The Mission urged citizens to exercise caution due to the severe weather conditions in the Catalonia region.

Spain's national weather service, AEMET, announced the end of the emergency for Valencia, but torrential rain struck Catalonia, where residents received telephone alerts urging the utmost caution.

The toll stands at 217 dead -- almost all in the eastern Valencia region -- with the country dreading the discovery of more corpses as an unknown number of people remain missing.

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Local authorities in Valencia extended travel restrictions for another two days, cancelled classes and urged residents to work from home to facilitate the work of the emergency services.

The UAE authorities in Madrid also emphasised the importance of following safety instructions issued by the local authorities and asked citizens to contact them in case of emergencies 0097180024, or 00971800444444 and to register for the Tawajudi service.

Grim situation

Thousands of soldiers, police officers, civil guards and firefighters spent a sixth day distributing aid and clearing mud and debris to find bodies.

But relief works only reached some towns days after the disaster and in many cases volunteers were the first to provide food, water, sanitation and cleaning equipment.

Divers on Monday concentrated their search for missing bodies in garages and a multi-storey car park in the town of Aldaia.

The storm caught many victims in their vehicles on roads and in underground spaces such as car parks, tunnels and garages where rescue operations are particularly difficult.

Storms coming off the Mediterranean are common during this season. But scientists have warned human-induced climate change is increasing the ferocity, length and frequency of extreme weather events.

Inputs from AFP

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