While rescue operations are still ongoing in Valencia, where flush floods killed over 200 people and severely damaged travel infrastructure, Spain’s heavy rains have reached Barcelona, which is now suffering a similar fate.
1. Barcelona Airport
The second-largest airport in Spain, Barcelona’s El Prat, has had significant sections of its infrastructure flooded. Social media footage shows not only the runway fully submerged, but also water pouring down through the ceiling inside terminal buildings.
🚨🇪🇸 El Prat Barcelona Airport, one of the country's major hubs, has been severely affected,with videos showing floodwaters entering the terminal building, pouring from ceilings,even affecting the apron area and submerging parts of the departures hall#storm #floods #SpainFloods pic.twitter.com/BhsHLru0Io
— Antony Ochieng,KE✈️ (@Turbinetraveler) November 4, 2024
Airport manager Aena has activated a “crisis committee” to navigate the impacts, which include substantial delays and cancellations affecting thousands of travellers. At least 70 flights have been cancelled and over 17 diverted to alternate airports. The company said it expects the backlog to cause further delays even after operations will manage to return to normal.
🔴📹Així està ara mateix l’Aeroport del Prat. Molts vols es desvien a altres destinacions. El pàrquing es comença a inundar. Els treballadors de moment han d’anar-hi, l’operativa de terra es manté igual. @SERCatalunya pic.twitter.com/gdy1IVb9nq
— Ferran Dalmau (@FerranDalmau) November 4, 2024
“A crisis committee has been set up at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport to monitor the impact of the severe storms taking place at the airport today”, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility wrote on X yesterday.
2. Rail and metro
The floods have also gravely affected rail and metro services. The high-speed train line between Barcelona and Tarragona was suspended due to water flooding the tunnels, disrupting a crucial transport artery in the region. Additionally, Catalonia’s Rodalies commuter rail service has been halted, affecting daily commuters and travellers throughout the region.
The Barcelona metro has also faced closures, with several stations, including Rambla Just Oliveras and Liceu, not servicing certain directions due to station flooding. The disruptions have rippled through the city’s public transport system, leading to calls for residents to avoid non-essential travel.
3. Road closures
The flooding has wreaked havoc on road transport as well, with several key highways around Barcelona closed. Authorities have issued advisories urging residents to avoid the worst-affected areas, particularly around normally dry riverbeds and canals that have become flood channels. The closure of these major routes has caused significant congestion and has made it difficult for emergency services to navigate the city effectively.
4. Government response and public safety measures
In response to the crisis, local and national authorities have intensified their efforts to mitigate the impact of the floods. Spain’s interior ministry has issued red alerts and advised the public to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. Schools have been closed and parents are urged not to travel to pick up their children, ensuring that they remain in safe locations.
The focus now turns to recovery and assessing the full extent of the damage. As Barcelona looks to rebound from these devastating floods, the emphasis is also on analysing the city’s infrastructure resilience and improving preparedness for similar extreme weather events in the future, which are bound to become more frequent due to climate change.
