More storms coming as Leonardo swells rivers, bursts aquifers in Spain and Portugal

GRAZALEMA, Spain – The authorities in southern Spain have evacuated residential areas out of fear a major river could overflow and warned of landslides caused by bursting aquifers on Feb 6 after Storm Leonardo swept over the Iberian Peninsula.

Over 7,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in southern Spain’s Andalusia region so far amid a so-called “storm train” in which several consecutive storms have pounded Portugal and Spain with torrential rains and strong winds over the past weeks.

State weather agency AEMET warned that another storm, Marta, would hit the peninsula on Feb 7, bringing more abundant rainfall.

Several residential areas near the Guadalquivir riverbed in Cordoba province were evacuated overnight due to the dramatic rise in water levels.

Landslide risk in the Grazalema mountains

Also evacuated were the approximately 1,500 residents of Grazalema, a mountain village popular with hikers, as water seeped through the walls of houses and cascaded along steep cobbled streets.

“We couldn’t sleep because we’re so stressed and anxious,” evacuee Maria Fernandez told state broadcaster TVE at a sports hall in Ronda, some 30km away, where villagers were taken.

Andalusia’s regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno told radio station SER that aquifers in the Grazalema mountains were full and could provoke landslides due to pent-up pressure.

He added geologists were assessing the situation in Grazalema to determine when residents would be able to return to their homes.

The Grazalema mountains are made of permeable rock that dissolves when absorbing large volumes of water, potentially leading to structural collapse, Valencia University’s professor of geology Nahum Mendez-Chazarra told Reuters.

“It’s possible these cavities will widen and eventually cause the ground to sink, which will obviously affect any house or road on top,” he said.

The heavy rains are also impacting the olive harvest. Mr Francisco Elvira, who leads farmers' association COAG in Jaen province, estimated losses worth €200 million (S$300.45 million) so far.

Portugal extends calamity state

In southern Portugal, large parts of the town of Alcacer do Sal by the River Sado remained semi-submerged for the third straight day.

“I’m left with nothing, nothing. I only kept the clothes I had on,” Alcacer resident Rita Morgado told Reuters, adding that more than 1,000 people needed help.

In Portugal’s second-biggest city Porto, the River Douro overflowed in the early hours on Feb 6, causing minor flooding at riverside cafe terraces.

Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said late on Feb 5 his government had extended a state of calamity in 69 municipalities until mid-February, adding “unprecedented” rainfall and flood risks threatened several regions.

The commander of Portugal”s ANEPC civil protection service Mario Silvestre said six rivers – including the Tagus – were at risk of significant flooding.

The Tagus river basin was placed on red alert on Feb 5 due to the abrupt rise in water flow. REUTERS