Catalonia restricts mobility for Monday as flood recovery efforts continue

Further weather warnings have been issued as the efforts to search for victims and clean up towns and neighborhoods continue following the devastating floods in Valencia. 

The Catalan government has restricted mobility in southern Catalonia for Monday and canceled classes, and remote working is recommended.

The measures will be in effect in nine counties in the Terres de l'Ebre, Camp de Tarragona, and Penedès regions.

Mobility will be restricted from midnight and throughout the day on Monday due to the warning of heavy rain in the next few hours, as announced by interior minister Núria Parlon.

The counties affected are Baix Ebre, Montsià, Terra Alta, Ribera d'Ebre, Baix Camp, Priorat, Tarragonès, Alt Camp, and Baix Penedès.

Civil Protection will send an alert to mobile phones in these areas to inform them of the restrictions.

The Meteorological Service of Catalonia has updated its warning of potentially dangerous rains on Sunday. 

Rainfall could exceed 20mm in 30 minutes on Sunday and 40mm on Monday in the Terres de l'Ebre, Priorat, and Baix Camp, all in southern Catalonia, bordering with the Valencia region.

Rain is also expected, although less intense, in the rest of the Catalan coast.

Civil Protection has reported that the rain intensity threshold has not been exceeded and there have been no incidents in Catalonia, although the emergency plan for the risk of flooding remains on alert, and extreme precautions are urged.

Crisis response groups

The Valencian regional president, Carlos Mazón of the right-wing People's Party, announced on Saturday the creation of five crisis response groups, and requested the aid of seven Spanish government ministries.

In an institutional appearance more than seven hours later than scheduled, Mazón said that "following the offer of the Spanish Prime Minister and seeing the growing and undeniable needs" in Valencia, groups would be created, under his supervision, on Health, Infrastructures, Services Social and Housing, Work and Business, and Interior.

He also asked that emergency funds from the European Union be accelerated as much as possible.

The Spanish government has already shown openness to assisting in Mazón's crisis response groups plan. 

Divers and troops search shopping center car park

Teams of divers and kayakers from the Military Emergency Unit have managed to enter the flooded parking lot of the Bonaire shopping center, in the town of Aldaia, where it is feared that there may be several victims trapped by the flood.

The army has been working to remove the accumulated water, which has been lowered to a height of 1.5 metres from the initial four.

The forecast is that the remaining water can be removed on Sunday, and the first boats and army troops are already working inside, where at least two floors were flooded.

The car park has around 5,700 parking spaces including exterior ones, and has an area of ​​more than 2,000 m2.

Spain's transport minister, Óscar Puente, also pointed out that there are still many private basements, garages, and negated parking lots that need to be cleared and where there are probably more bodies.

Lack of mobility threatening health issues

In the midst of the devastation caused by the floods, the passing of days has brought to light several health needs that volunteer doctors, nurses and technicians point out.

Groups of medical volunteers are walking the streets of devastated towns to offer their services to anyone who needs them.

The accumulation of mud and dirt makes mobility almost impossible in many areas, which makes it difficult to get medicine to patients, especially those with chronic diseases.

The volunteer health workers are trying to make up for these shortcomings while healing numerous injuries caused by the work of removing waste.

They are especially worried, however, about the lack of tetanus vaccines, while at the same time attending to many people who are "collapsed" psychologically "because they do not accept the situation."

Estela Hidalgo lives in Torrent, in the region of Valencia, and volunteered as a doctor in the streets of Picanya as soon as the roads opened.

She works at the outpatient clinic in this town, and now she has volunteered at all times among the locals who need it. "Above all, we are taking care of those wounded by cuts and blows, while we manage the medication of chronic patients," she tells the Catalan News Agency.