Towns call for disaster zone status following 'possible tornado'

The authorities spent Monday assessing the damage caused by the heavy rains and strong winds that swept across Catalonia on Sunday. In Terrades and Cistella, in the northern region of Alt Empordà, the local authorities consider calling for the area to be declared a disaster zone, something the council in the town of Cardona, in the inland county of Bages, also wants.

Sunday’s bad weather left over 200 houses in the north without power, vehicles were crushed and buildings left with structural damage. In fact, the weather was so bad that it has been officially classified as a tornado. Witnesses report a moving column of air of between 100 and 300 meters across that swept everything before it.

On Monday, the meteorological office said that Alt Empordà had experienced a “possible category EF1 or EF2 tornado”. Tornados are classified according to how much damage they cause, on a rising scale of 0-5. It also reported the possible tornado covering between 15 and 20 kilometers, with wind speeds reaching 150 kilometers per hour.

The mayor of Cistella, Enric Gironella, told ACN that the town should be declared a disaster zone as almost the entire area is affected and “we now have to find solutions.” Once the full damage in the town has been assessed, the council can make an application for the Catalan authorities to declare the area an official disaster zone.

As for Cardona, the local authority put the cost of the damage at between 800,000 and a million euros. The council will also apply for the town to be declared a disaster zone, because the “very exceptional” nature of the phenomenon justifies “exceptional help”. The Cardona council will meet with representatives of the agriculture department on Tuesday to discuss possible aid for locals affected.