MADRID: Spain’s national weather service on Tuesday downgraded its rain alert for the eastern region of Valencia, the site of deadly flooding in 2024, but issued its highest warning for the holiday islands of Ibiza and Formentera.
AEMET said the alert level in Valencia was cut by two levels from red — its highest — to yellow, a day after torrential downpours forced schools across the region to close.
By contrast, Ibiza and Formentera were placed under red alert, with forecasters warning of “extraordinary danger” from heavy rainfall that could trigger flash floods and river surges in the Mediterranean islands.
Ibiza City, the capital of Ibiza, urged residents to avoid travel and outdoor activities and warned in a post on X against approaching streams, low-lying areas or basements.
Monday’s red alert in Valencia revived memories of October 2024, when flooding killed more than 230 people.
More than half a million pupils in Valencia missed lessons on Monday as 243 local councils closed schools as a precaution.
Images on social media showed roaring torrents of water gushing through the town of Cullera, south of the regional capital Valencia, one of the hardest-hit areas.
Cullera Mayor Jordi Mayor said residents’ compliance with calls to stay indoors “prevented many tragedies.”
“If there had been an elderly person, someone with mobility difficulties, or even children out on the streets, the consequences could have been much worse,” he told Spanish public television.
Last year’s disaster sparked public anger over the adequacy of warning systems and the emergency response. Residents have continued to stage protests, accusing officials of failing to provide timely alerts.
Rain warning lowered in eastern Spain, Ibiza on red alert
https://arab.news/wx9cz
Rain warning lowered in eastern Spain, Ibiza on red alert
- AEMET said the alert level in Valencia was cut by two levels from red
- By contrast, Ibiza and Formentera were placed under red alert, with forecasters warning of “extraordinary danger” from heavy rainfall
India to provide $450 million to cyclone-ravaged Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: India has committed $450 million in humanitarian assistance to help Sri Lanka recover from the devastating damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Tuesday on a visit to the country.
The cyclone killed more than 640 people when it swept across the South Asian island last month, causing floods and landslides that inflicted about $4 billion in damage, according to the World Bank, or 4 percent of the country’s GDP.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described the storm, which affected more than two million people, as the most challenging natural disaster in the island’s history.
Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit, told a media briefing in Colombo he had handed a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dissanayake, committing to a “reconstruction package of $450 million.”
While $350 million will take the form of “concessional lines of credit,” the remaining $100 million will be given as grants.
Jaishankar also noted the 1,100 tons of relief material, along with medicine and other necessary equipment, sent to India’s southern neighbor in the cyclone’s immediate aftermath.
“Given the scale of damage, restoring connectivity was clearly an immediate priority,” he said, detailing the Indian military’s assistance in providing portable bridges.
Jaishankar said India would also look at other ways to mitigate the losses, including encouraging Indian tourism to Sri Lanka.
“Similarly, an increase in foreign direct investment from India can boost your economy at a critical time,” he added.
The cyclone struck as Sri Lanka was emerging from its worst-ever economic meltdown in 2022, when it ran out of foreign exchange reserves to pay for essential imports such as food, fuel and medicines.
Following a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund approved in early 2023, the country’s economy has stabilized.
str-abh/cwl
