Spain is experiencing a storm, produced by the Gabrielle storm, which on Tuesday, September 30, hit the Balearic Islands, especially Ibiza and Formentera, hard.
Rainfall exceeded 230 liters per square meter, causing power cuts, rescues in homes and vehicles, and the suspension of school activities. The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) reduced the alert from red to orange on Tuesday afternoon, although the warnings remain active in the region.
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In Valencia, the rains left flooding and damage in coastal municipalities. In the town of Picanya, a slope collapsed in the Poyo ravine and in El Perellonet the accumulations reached 150 liters per square meter.
In the Marina Alta, in Alicante, the orange alert is still in force. Although the weather front shows signs of weakening, the impact has been significant in areas with vulnerable infrastructure.
The president of the Balearic Government, Marga Prohens, travelled to Ibiza on Tuesday to coordinate the institutional response together with the president of the Consell, Vicent Marí. Both participated in the Emergency Control Center before moving to the island.
The Balearic Government expressed its support for the affected population, which is facing service cuts and material damage in the midst of a still unstable situation.
Academic activity was interrupted in different regions. In the Valencian Community, more than 178,000 students from 53 municipalities did not attend classes that day. The University of the Balearic Islands also suspended classes at the Ibiza and Formentera campuses until Wednesday, October 1. A gradual return to normality is expected, conditioned by the evolution of the weather.
This new episode is reminiscent of the DANA that affected the province of Valencia in October 2024, which caused severe flooding, damage to homes and infrastructure, deaths, human disappearances and evidenced the exposure of many localities to climate risk.
While emergency teams continue to assess and assist them, authorities insist on maintaining caution. The storm leaves a new warning signal about the effects of climate change and the need to strengthen the supervision of the most exposed territories.
