Flood emergency plan activated in Barcelona and Tarragona

Catalan Civil Protection services activated the Inuncat flood plan for the coastal area in Barcelona and Tarragona on Tuesday morning, which will remain effective until Wednesday. 

On Tuesday afternoon, the Catalan government has suspended classes on Wednesday and limited mobility in the counties of Tarragonès, Montsià, Baix Ebre, Ribera d'Ebre, and Baix Camp. 

Authorities urge citizens to take precautions when leaving their homes. 

The plan activation comes after the Meteorological Service of Catalonia (Meteocat) informed of the risk meteorological situation due to the heavy rains expected to hit Catalonia.  

Interior minister Núria Parlon does not rule out sending new phone warnings or restricting mobility during this week, depending on the forecast's progress. 

"If there are warnings of a level 4 intensity out of 6, we will issue warnings," Parlon stated. The minister has also asked citizens to proceed with "caution" and wait for the afternoon's forecast.

Based on the current data, the passage of the 'DANA' is expected to bring intense local storms on Tuesday in the coastal and pre-coastal areas of Barcelona and Tarragona. 

Wednesday will see more intense and abundant rain in southern Catalonia, but also in Valencia and Alicante. In addition, from Montsià to Tarragonès, in southern Catalonia, storms can surpass 40 litres per square meter in 30 minutes. 

On Monday, Meteocat already warned of the possible arrival of a ‘DANA’, an acronym in Spanish that stands for “depresión aislada en niveles altos,” – high-altitude isolated depression. This is the type of heavy storm that caused the devastating flooding in Valencia in recent weeks.