Stay at work and keep children in school during weather alert, government urges

The Catalan government has urged citizens in areas under heavy rain alert to stay at work and keep their children in school.

The severe weather alert caused by the Dana storm - the phenomenon responsible for the flooding in Valencia - hit Catalonia on Monday.

The areas most affected in the morning were Barcelonès, Garraf, Maresme, Vallès Oriental, Vallès Occidental and Baix Llobregat, with the storm expected to move towards Maresme and Selva later in the day.

While the alert remains in effect, interior minister Núria Parlon issued a series of recommendations, with the primary advice being to avoid unnecessary travel.

For this reason, Parlon advised parents to stay at work and keep their children in schools, which she described as "safe places".

She urged people to take extra precautions, especially if they are near streams, ravines or flood-prone areas.

"If you are in a place where it is raining, do not travel," she said.

Meanwhile, the director of the Catalan Traffic Service, Ramon Lamiel, has recommended avoiding travel along the coast and urged the use of high-capacity roads that offer "greater safety", such as the AP-7.

But the weather event is not expected to last long. Parlon noted that the storm, which has disrupted transport with train and flight cancellations and caused road flooding across Catalonia, was "coming to an end."

However, she urged caution as Monday's rains will be the "final blow" of this weather phenomenon in the territory.

But despite the end of the Dana, the director of the Catalan Meteorological Service (Meteocat), Sarai Sarroca, warned that there will still be rains throughout the week with an "important intensity", but due to other weather events.