Els Poblets mayor describes flash flood that submerged 70% of municipality in just 20 minutes

A flash flood

The Girona river overflowed in the early hours of Monday 19 October and surged forcefully into much of Els Poblets. The mayor estimates, provisionally, that water covered around 70% of the municipality. According to his account, at 05:00 hours images of the riverbed showed no problems, but between 05:30 and 05:45 the ES-Alert sounded again. The mayor himself recalled the difference from the 2007 flood: "In 2007 it was during the day and we watched how the river rose hour by hour. This time it was 20 minutes. Fortunately we were prepared and had the experience of 2007, but I don't want to think what would have happened if it had been the first flood".

Mas described the moment he realised the magnitude of the phenomenon: "I saw a tongue of water and reeds coming down like a tsunami along the Girona river, at the height of El Verger". After that alert, he and the Local Police activated a door-to-door warning in Molí street and in the Mirarosa area. The mayor estimates that emergency vehicles had to pass through some points seven or eight times to manage to alert all the neighbours.

Rescues and shelter at the Town Hall

During another violent surge, two Local Police officers found themselves clinging to a wall and a palm tree whilst trying to help a person trapped in a garage. The council building, situated in an elevated area, became a refuge point for several evacuated neighbours, including an elderly woman with reduced mobility and two people living on ground floors. About those moments, the mayor said: "The Town Hall is a safe area, but it became an island. We're on a raised part and the water started to pass on one side and the other. Everything was very fast. I don't know if it was 20 minutes or half an hour, because the feeling is that everything happened all at once. But we managed to alert the population, and that's what we're holding on to".

Mas described those moments as the hardest of the day: "It was the most traumatic thing and what I will never forget. We started receiving alerts and there were people calling for help…". The Town Hall had already maintained constant surveillance of the Girona river and the Portelles ravine during the previous Sunday, with the mayor monitoring developments on the ground.

The day after

A day after the flood, volunteers from other municipalities were helping to remove furniture and belongings damaged by the flood along the streets of Els Poblets, as La Marina Times had already reported when covering the telephone service set up to channel aid to those affected by the flood. The mayor described his own state after the emergency: "Personally I feel strong, with strength and determination to manage and overcome this situation. Emotionally it's another matter. Emotionally it's a rollercoaster, but we have to be strong and work to move forward".

On the mood of the neighbours, the mayor added: "I see the neighbours desperate, anxious and with the feeling that this is going to happen again".