Storm Adam leaves two dead in Oliva as death toll rises

Two people died on Monday 19 October in Oliva during flooding caused by Storm Adam. Their deaths raised the initial death toll linked to the storm to four. The storm hit the Safor and Marina Alta particularly hard, between Valencia and Alicante.

A 79-year-old woman was found on the ground floor of her home. A 64-year-old man suffered a heart attack at a campsite. The Government Delegation reported both deaths, according to information released about the incident. The other two victims in that toll were a woman in Sagunto and another in Cabrera de Mar, in Barcelona.

The subsequent count rose to five when it also included a man who died in Benaoján, Málaga, after a rock fell on his vehicle. The toll reported on 19 and 20 October therefore ranged from four to five deaths, depending on which cases were counted.

Rainfall was particularly heavy around Oliva. AEMET recorded 570.4 litres per square metre in the town and 131.9 litres in one hour at its beach. In parts of the Safor and Marina Alta, rainfall exceeded 500 litres per square metre over a period of between 36 and 48 hours.

AEMET issued a red alert for the northern coast of Alicante and the southern coast of Valencia, forecasting up to 90 litres per square metre in one hour, 200 in 12 hours and 300 in 24 hours. Rescues were carried out in Oliva to assist people who had become stranded, and the Military Emergency Unit (UME) joined the response.

The Generalitat ordered people to shelter in place in municipalities in both provinces. On 19 October, it lifted the measure in the eight towns where it was still in force and stood down the UME. The storm directly affected the neighbouring districts of the Vega Baja, although the recorded figures for extreme rainfall and rescues mainly relate to the Safor and Marina Alta.

Article by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.