Catalunya under water with 13 roads closed due to floods

STORMS battering the east coast of Spain have hit the region of Catalunya worse than anywhere, with 13 roads blocked off on the Costa Brava, four rivers threatening to burst their banks and even sink-holes opening in a street (pictured below right).

The AP-7 motorway has been closed to traffic in a southbound direction near the Figueres exit, and the N-II national trunk road close by has been shut.

Figueres town council has set up emergency beds in the sports centre in case anyone is forced to flee their homes or cannot reach them because of the floods.

Roads closed in the province of Girona include the C-252 in Far d'Empordà, the C-26 in Borrassà, the C-31 in Vilamalla, the GIV-5129 in Vilafant, the GIV-6219 in Siurana, the GIV-6226 in Garrigàs and the N-260 in Llançà and Portbou.

In Barcelona, the C-1411b in Manresa has been shut due to floods, and in Lleida, the C-26 in Alfarràs is closed.

Authorities are concerned that the rivers Fluvià, Ter, Cardener and Siurana may overflow if the rainfall gets any worse.

The rivers Congost, Anoia, Francolí, Llobregat and Foix are very swollen, but as yet are not in danger of bursting their banks.

Emergency flood response measures have been activated as a precaution in the province of Barcelona, in Calafell, Castelldefels, Santa Maria de Palautordera, Sant Quirze del Vallès, Vic, Cardona, Sallent and Castellbel, and in the province of Girona in Peralada and Llançà and in Lleida, in the town of Tremp.

Firefighters in Figueres have been called out on 144 occasions in the last 24 hours, and 12 children and five instructors had to be evacuated from an activity centre as flood waters in the vicinity began to rise at an alarming rate.

In total, they have dealt with 305 cases in Girona, 29 in Lleida, 19 in Tarragona, and 55 in Barcelona city.

Torrential rain is also sweeping across the Balearic Islands and the provinces of Valencia, Alicante and Castellón.