Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Un poco agua

Whilst we escaped the bad weather yesterday, Elche received a deluge.

The whirlwind of water and hail that fell yesterday evening in Elche, caused chaos for the emergency  services. There were flooded vehicles, closed streets and motorways, flooded cellars and schools. Everywhere there were trees and palms felled  by the strong wind. The town suffered electricity cuts, a family had to be evacuated and a laundry  just sunk.

Two schools will have to suspend classes today and several schools will not be able to open at all. Local Police had to evacuate six students and four adults from one school.

Firemen were overwhelmed by the calls and had to prioritise their services - a brigade attended at the Hospital in Elche where there was a a forecast of flooding. Service “112” registered almost 140 calls in the first few moments of the storm.

Alicante suffered less, although rain did close the city centre and caused circulation problems.

Others places affected were l'Alcoià and El Comtat and  the area of Cocentaina and Muro where the rain reached maximum intensity.

In Cocentaina, 46 litres of water fell, closing the old passage to traffic at about four in the afternoon. The roundabout at  Sant Cristòfol was also impassible for about 30 minutes. The problem there was caused by blocked sewers which couldn't cope with the deluge.

In the Vinalopó , it was Novelda which bore the brunt. Local Police there has to drain water from houses and shops. The 21 litres of water that fell there  lifted manhole covers.

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