Extensive destruction and the tragic loss of over 200 lives have resulted from severe flash floods which struck the Community of Valencia, Spain, on 29 October 2024. As of 4 November, recovery operations continue in previously inaccessible areas in the region.
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) has been activated (EMSR773) to deliver assessments of the extent of the flooding and its impacts in affected areas.
This data visualisation, based on CEMS data, depicts the situation in the ‘Horta Sud’ Area of Interest (a small part of a larger monitoring effort being conducted by CEMS) on 31 October at 10:22 UTC.
The map reveals that more than 4,100 hectares of surface and 3,906 buildings have been affected by flooding, while more than 60,000 people, 15.2 km of railways, and 531.6 km of roads were potentially impacted. More information is available here.
The information provided by CEMS is key to more efficient emergency response and future mitigation strategies for extreme weather events.
Featured image credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery