A whirlwind week for the Costa Blanca

THE Valencian Community continued to be rocked by extreme weather last week, as massive amounts of rainfall led to widespread flooding and damage to buildings, roads, and crops.

Various parts of the region were hammered by rain on Sunday December 4 and Monday December 5. The levels of precipitation in many areas were some of the highest in years. The Marina Alta municipality of L’Aztubia (close to Pego) was inundated with 123 litres per square metre between Sunday and Monday afternoon. In roughly the same period, Emergency Services 112 of the Valencian Community received 303 weather-related phone calls.

The rain let off slightly after that, with the alert being lowered from orange to yellow in many areas on Tuesday December 6, although heavy precipitation and the after-effects of flooding remained major concerns. 

Widespread damage was reported. An outdoor theatre in Valencia City was forced to suspend its programming due to flooding, whereas in some inland municipalities streets were so heavily inundated that children were unable to attend school. 

Although farmers may have been thrilled with the rains initially, it has proven to be too much for certain crops, particularly clementines. Agricultural organisations have indicated that the rain was so extensive that it may have caused €100 million worth of damages to these citrus crops, a longtime staple fruit of the region.