The municipality of Grazalema in Cádiz is undoubtedly bearing the brunt of Storm Leonardo as we have seen in numerous images where water can be seen in the streets, in the houses or even coming out of the electrical outlets. Given all this, the situation has reached a completely unsustainable point, which is why the authorities have ordered the complete evacuation of the municipality.
Heavy rainfall. This decision comes after the town received almost 600 liters of water per square meter this Wednesday, surpassing all previous records. This large amount of rainfall has formed a symbiosis with the many liters that had fallen in the previous days and weeks, which has made the situation completely unsustainable.
The problem is precisely what may come in the coming days. The AEMET has already warned that this Saturday the Grazalema region will be on orange alert due to rainfall that will once again reach tens of liters. Something that has activated all the machinery to relocate citizens while the weather situation returns to normal.
Its magnitude. It is not an easy task, since we are talking about a town with nearly 1,600 residents who will now have to move to another point to guarantee their safety.
As reported by the local media, it was the president of the Andalusian Government himself who announced this measure in an appearance with the mayor of Grazalema due to the absolutely anomalous situation that the town is experiencing. The main focus of concern is placed above all on the geological state of the municipality, and especially on its aquifer.
Earth movements. The main danger of the municipality’s aquifer being full of water is that it begins to exert pressure on the land itself. This translates into ground movements with structural damage that would affect homes or the streets themselves.
How will it be done? Although this evacuation will take place during the day and with weather conditions that are currently more favorable than those experienced yesterday, moving so many people is not easy. For now, the authorities have indicated that residents who can travel with their own means to Ronda, where they can be welcomed in a pavilion managed by the Red Cross. Although it is also possible that some neighbors move to the homes of relatives or acquaintances.
In any case, the fact of having time ahead will mean that this evacuation will be done in an orderly manner and by zones, as the president of the Andalusian Government himself points out. Something that they point out must be kept in mind is serenity at this time so that chaos does not spread.
It is an obligation. The evacuation of the municipality is not voluntary at all, but is mandatory for all resident neighbors who must leave the municipality following the instructions. In this way, tonight no one will be able to sleep in Grazalema without a clear date to return.
Other evictions. Throughout these days we have seen how evacuations have had to be carried out in different parts of Andalusia, such as in Dúdar (Granada). Although an evacuation of a municipality of considerable size with more than 1,000 inhabitants, the truth is that there are few precedents that we can have in mind right now.
Images | Rob
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