Storm Leonardo triggers mass evacuations in Spain and Portugal as rivers swell and landslide risks rise, with more heavy rain forecast.
GRAZALEMA (Spain)/ALCACER DO SAL (Portugal): Storm Leonardo continues to batter the Iberian Peninsula, forcing over 11,000 people from their homes in southern Spain and prompting Portugal to extend a state of calamity.
Torrential rains and strong winds have saturated the ground and swollen rivers, with the Guadalquivir River in Spain’s Cordoba province close to bursting its banks.
Authorities halted pedestrian traffic on Cordoba’s historic Roman bridge as a precaution against the rising waters.
READ MORE: More storms coming as Leonardo swells rivers, bursts aquifers in Spain and Portugal
Regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno warned the situation around Jaen and the Guadalquivir area remains particularly worrisome.
“We expect 30 mm (of rain). In other circumstances that would be little water but right now it is a lot as the soil is unable to drain and the rivers and reservoirs are full,” he said.
Antonio Sanz, head of emergencies for Andalusia, confirmed the evacuation figure exceeds 11,000 people.
In the mountain village of Grazalema, some 1,500 residents were evacuated after water seeped through house walls and cascaded down steep streets.
Moreno warned that full aquifers in the Grazalema mountains could now provoke dangerous landslides due to pent-up pressure.
Geology professor Nahum Mendez-Chazarra explained the permeable rock there dissolves when absorbing large volumes of water.
“It’s possible these cavities will widen and eventually cause the ground to sink, which will obviously affect any house or road on top,” he said.
Spain’s state weather agency AEMET has warned another storm, named Marta, will hit the peninsula on Saturday.
The body of a woman believed to have been swept away while trying to rescue her dog was found in Malaga province, military police said.
In southern Portugal, large parts of Alcacer do Sal remained semi-submerged for a third day by the flooded River Sado.
Resident Rita Morgado told Reuters she was left with nothing but the clothes she was wearing.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said his government extended a state of calamity in 69 municipalities due to “unprecedented” rainfall and flood risks.
Civil protection commander Mario Silvestre said six rivers, including the Tagus, were at risk of significant flooding.
The Tagus river basin was placed on red alert on Thursday due to an abrupt rise in water flow.