Days-long levanter storm hits Catalan shore with hundreds of emergency phone calls

The days-long levanter storm, or eastern windstorm, that has been affecting Catalonia since Wednesday continues, with emergency services receiving hundreds of calls since the storm started.

Many rivers across Catalonia, especially those in the northern-eastern area and the Catalan coast, were at full capacity, prompting the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) to issue a risk warning for flooding, in rivers such as Ter, Fluvià, Muga, and Manol. Fluvià river on Saturday morning recorded a capacity of 109 cubic meters per second, while it surpassed the 195 cubic meters per second in the previous hours.

The levanter storm continued on Saturday morning, mainly impacting the Terres de l'Ebre area, in the south of Catalonia, with rainfall of 60 liters.

The 112 emergency hotline received 516 phone calls until Saturday morning since the storm began, mainly from the Barcelonès, Gironès, and Maresme counties. Although most of the phone calls are not due to severe emergencies, there were dozens of flooded undergrounds, fallen trees and branches in the middle of the roads.

Only on Saint Stephen's Day, December 26, were firefighters deployed 227 times across Catalonia: 89 in the area of Girona, 60 near Barcelona, and 59 in the northern area of Catalonia.

Meanwhile, the Catalan civil protection issued several warnings for the risk of flooding.

Forecasts expected around 300 liters of rainfall in the northern-eastern counties of Selva, Osona, Garrotxa, and Ripollès.

In the Eastern Pyrenees, there has been heavy snowfall, with 20 centimeters of new snow at as low as 1,400 meters above sea level.

There are also warnings for the risk of avalanches, which is why Núria and Vallter ski resorts remain closed.

House collapses and evacuated children

A house partially collapsed in Perelló, in the Baix Ebre in southern Catalonia, without any personal damage due to the heavy storm.

The events took place around 11 pm on Friday night at the Major Street, next to the church, as mayor Samuel Ferré told the Catalan News Agency (ACN). 

Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, firefighters evacuated 16 people from a rural house in Vall d'en Bas in the county of Garrotxa, in the north. They were isolated due to the Gurn river running at full capacity.

Firefighters used their truck and a large stair to move the people from one side of the river to the other.