Storm Adam Floods Eastern Spain, Killing Four

Torrential rain from Storm Adam has caused severe flooding across eastern Spain, killing four people and prompting evacuations and shelter-in-place orders. The storm began on Saturday and brought as much as 700 litres of rain per square metre in 24 hours to parts of the Valencia region. Floodwaters isolated coastal towns, rivers overflowed, and streets became torrents, evoking memories of catastrophic flooding in Valencia two years earlier that killed more than 230 people. Authorities confirmed four deaths: two in the coastal resort of Oliva, one at a beach in Sagunto, and one person who fell into a swollen stream in Catalonia. Emergency teams conducted hundreds of rescues, including people stranded on rooftops who were lifted to safety by helicopter. Shelter-in-place orders affecting 800,000 residents on Monday morning were narrowed to 87,000 people in eight municipalities by late afternoon. More than 2,000 people were evacuated, mainly in Oliva, and authorities also ordered residents in about 100 municipalities to stay indoors for several hours before lifting most restrictions as conditions improved. The flooding caused extensive damage in towns including Els Poblets, where vehicles were piled on top of one another and residents tried to recover belongings from their homes. Some residents said they had lost everything again, recalling a similar disaster in 2007. Officials reported blocked access routes to Pego and people awaiting helicopter evacuation from rooftops. In Oliva, emergency workers were particularly focused on elderly residents trapped in homes with waist-high water. The storm also affected the Balearic Islands and Catalonia. The report notes that Spain’s national weather agency had recently announced record heat: mainland Spain’s hottest September on record and its warmest summer from June through August.

At least four people have died after heavy rain caused severe flooding across eastern Spain, while hundreds were forced to leave their homes or needed rescue. The worst-affected areas were in the Valencia and Alicante regions along Spain’s eastern Mediterranean coast. In Oliva, authorities recovered two bodies on Monday: a 79-year-old woman found at her home and a man who suffered a heart attack at a campsite. A man drowned while swimming at a beach in Sagunto, and a woman died after falling into a rain-swollen stream in Catalonia. Emergency services rescued more than 450 people stranded by rising water. Some were airlifted from rooftops, flooded buildings, and vehicles; others were taken to safety by boat. Authorities imposed emergency restrictions in several municipalities and urged residents to stay indoors, although most restrictions were later lifted. Flooding also affected the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca and Ibiza, where schools closed and some flights were cancelled or delayed. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said military emergency teams were helping with rescue operations and promised full government support. The flooding is a reminder of the region’s recent history of deadly inundations: the Valencia region suffered a devastating disaster nearly two years earlier that killed more than 220 people.

Spanish Guardia Civil officers rescued a family and their dogs from a home surrounded by rising floodwaters in Oliva, eastern Spain. The report says heavy flooding was continuing to affect parts of the Valencia region. Footage released by the police force shows an officer carrying a woman through the water, followed by a man being guided to safety. The family was then transported out of the flooded town in a Guardia Civil vehicle. Aerial images recorded from a rescue helicopter show the scale of the inundation, with large areas near the coast submerged. Emergency crews were continuing operations to reach people trapped by the rising water. The report focuses on the rescue and the visible impact of flooding; it does not provide details about injuries, the family’s condition, the cause of the flooding, or the overall number of people affected. Its repeated description of the rescue emphasizes that both the family and their dogs were brought to safety, while the helicopter footage offers a wider view of the flooding across the region. The story is presented as a short video report, with its central information conveyed through the officers’ rescue footage and aerial images. It describes an ongoing emergency rather than reporting that conditions have ended or that all residents have been reached.