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.

Tauris also recommended that citizens work remotely when possible and avoid non-essential travel.

The town council in Chiva, one of the worst-hit sites, cancelled classes and sports activities, while in nearby Aldaia, workers piled up sandbags to protect the town.

“We are placing sandbags to replace the floodgates that the previous floods tore down,” municipal worker Antonio Ojeda said, hoping it will prevent the Saleta ravine from overflowing again.

Ditches and drains that are obstructed with trees, tyres and car parts are also being cleaned out in preparation for the rainfall.

On Monday, 10,000 tons of furniture, appliances, and clothing were removed, almost as much waste as Valencia disposes of in a year.

Weather warnings were also issued for the Balearic Islands and parts of Galicia in the far northwest, Catalonia in the northeast, and Andalusia in the south.

Weather forecaster Monica Lopez told the state broadcaster that she did not expect the new storms to be as tumultuous as those in Valencia two weeks ago.

Royal visit

The preparations come as Spain’s King Felipe VI said he and Queen Letizia would return to the epicentre of the floods “early next week” after survivors heckled and threw mud at the royals during their last trip.

The king is due to return to Valencia on Tuesday to meet with soldiers participating in the relief work following the October 29 floods.

On Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a fresh aid package worth almost 3.8 billion euros ($4bn) to residents, property owners and farmers.

The government previously announced more than 10.6 billion euros ($11.3bn) in economic recovery measures to help flood victims and areas. The final bill to recover from the floods is expected to soar to tens of billions of euros.

On Sunday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the authorities’ handling of the floods.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies