At least four people died on Monday, October 19, in flash floods in eastern Spain, Interia reports. Rescuers are evacuating people from rooftops, and helicopters are taking part in the operation.
According to Interia’s report, the DANA phenomenon, meaning a cut-off low, brought downpours that flooded city streets in the Valencia and Alicante regions. Water is sweeping away cars, and emergency services are using more than a dozen helicopters to pick up residents from rooftops.
Scale of the rainfall and its impact
Interia reports that this is the heaviest rainfall in Spain in almost 40 years. According to the same source, more than 100,000 students remained at home because school classes were cancelled. The death toll of at least four may change as the rescue operation progresses.
Background
The Valencia region experienced a similar phenomenon two years earlier. In October 2024, floods caused by DANA claimed more than 90 lives within the first few days, according to NPR, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez then declared three days of national mourning. The phenomenon occurs when cold air moves over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, and within hours dense, towering storm clouds form.
What it means
For readers in Poland, it is important that the Valencia and Alicante regions are a popular tourist destination. People staying there or planning a trip should follow warnings from the Spanish meteorological agency AEMET, instructions from local services, and consular advice from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MSZ). At the time of publication, we had not seen an official statement from the Spanish government or civil protection services with a final death toll.
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