Cleanup Underway in Three Affected Municipalities
Around 50 members of Protecció Civil are assisting in recovery efforts in Montornès del Vallès, Vilanova del Vallès and Granollers (Barcelona), following heavy rains over the weekend and on Monday. The operation, coordinated by Bombers de la Generalitat, involves approximately 300 personnel including Protecció Civil, Agrupacions de Defensa Forestal (ADF) and Creu Roja. Xavier Masramon, head of Protecció Civil's logistics system, said in an interview with Europa Press on Tuesday that teams are helping clear mud and debris from main streets, remove flood-carried wreckage, and assess structural damage to municipal infrastructure and homes.
Partial Recovery Expected This Week
Masramon indicated that primary cleaning tasks, particularly those impeding access to homes in residential developments, are likely to be completed within the week. However, he acknowledged some infrastructure has sustained storm damage requiring major repairs before full restoration can occur.
Tuesday Rainfall Adds Pressure
Regarding additional rainfall forecast for Tuesday afternoon and evening across Catalonia’s coastal and pre-coastal areas, Masramon stated it would be difficult to assess impacts if the rain proves intense. While not expected to match Sunday and Monday’s severity, any heavy downpours could force a temporary suspension of ongoing operations. Protecció Civil is monitoring the Atlantic weather disturbance from its CECAT control centre, and cleanup work will continue in the three municipalities on Wednesday.
"Work will continue in these three municipalities on Wednesday," Xavier Masramon confirmed.
Elsewhere in Catalonia, emergency services responded to thousands of calls during the peak of the storm. According to official data cited by russpain.com, the 112 emergency number received over 5,900 calls overnight, with more than 1,400 incidents handled by Bombers by mid-morning Sunday. In Granollers, people were stranded atop cars in flooded roundabouts, requiring subaquatic rescue teams. A fatality was reported in Tordera after a wall collapsed due to storm conditions, confirmed by President Salvador Illa, who urged continued caution as rivers remain at risk of overflowing.
Primary sources: govern.cat, granollers.cat. Reported by europapress.es, Europa Press, russpain.com, democrata.es, spainenglish.com, protecciocivillleida.org, laciutat.cat, diaricatalunya.cat, Marc Orts i Cussó, Europa Press Barcelona.
