Storm Adam Kills Four and Floods Eastern Spain

Four people have died and more than 2,000 have been evacuated after Storm Adam unleashed torrential rain and severe flooding across eastern Spain, particularly in the Valencia and Alicante regions. The storm, which began on Saturday, October 17, also stranded residents, inundated homes and roads, and prompted emergency restrictions as rescue teams worked to reach isolated communities.

According to Al Jazeera, rainfall reached as much as 700 liters per square meter in 24 hours in parts of the Valencia region. Floodwaters cut off several Mediterranean coastal towns, while swollen rivers overflowed their banks and torrents swept through streets.

The four fatalities occurred in Oliva, Sagunto and Catalonia. Two people died in Oliva, including a 79-year-old woman found at her home and a man who suffered a heart attack at a campsite. Another man drowned while swimming at a beach in Sagunto, while a woman died after falling into a rain-swollen stream in Catalonia, according to reports from DW and Al Jazeera.

Emergency personnel rescued hundreds of people trapped by rising water. According to DW, more than 450 people were rescued, while Al Jazeera reported that security forces conducted more than 400 rescues in the Valencia region, citing government representative Pilar Bernabe. Some residents were lifted from rooftops by helicopter, while others escaped flooded buildings and vehicles with assistance from emergency crews and boats.

Authorities initially placed approximately 800,000 residents under shelter-in-place orders on Monday, October 19, according to Al Jazeera. The number later fell to 87,000 people across eight municipalities as conditions improved. Restrictions affecting around 100 municipalities were imposed for several hours, and most were lifted by early afternoon, regional authorities said.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated, mainly in Oliva. The Civil Guard reported nearly 100 rescues in Valencia and Alicante on Monday, while emergency workers continued assisting residents who remained trapped in flooded homes.

In Oliva, deputy mayor Salvador Llopis told Spain's public broadcaster TVE that rescue teams were prioritizing residents unable to leave their homes, particularly older people facing waist-deep water indoors. Meanwhile, Pego mayor Enrique Moll told regional broadcaster A Punt radio that several residents were still awaiting helicopter evacuation from rooftops because all access routes to the town had been blocked.

Flood damage was also severe in Els Poblets, northeast of Alicante, where powerful currents piled cars and vans on top of one another. Residents attempted to recover belongings from damaged homes as emergency operations continued.

Javier Fornez, a resident of Els Poblets, described the destruction and its emotional toll on the community.

"The village, well, it's a disaster. Some people have lost everything all over again, just like in 2007, when exactly the same thing happened," resident Javier Fornez said.

Spain's State Meteorological Agency, known as AEMET, had warned that Storm Adam could produce exceptionally heavy rainfall across the eastern Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands. A forecast published before the worst flooding predicted that parts of southern Valencia and areas near Cape La Nao could receive 200 to 300 millimeters of rain in 12 hours, with more than 160 millimeters possible over the same period in Ibiza and Formentera.

AEMET also warned that rainfall could spread across Alicante, Murcia, Almeria and Mallorca, with the storm potentially moving north toward Tarragona late Monday before weakening as Tuesday approached. The agency cautioned that identifying the locations of the heaviest rainfall remained difficult.

The storm also disrupted daily life in the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca and Ibiza, where schools closed and some flights were canceled or delayed. Emergency restrictions were introduced as authorities monitored the rainfall and its effects on transport and local communities.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said military emergency teams were supporting rescue operations and pledged full government assistance to affected areas.

The disaster has revived memories of the catastrophic floods that struck the Valencia region in 2024 and killed more than 220 people, according to DW. The latest flooding comes amid wider concerns about extreme temperatures, after AEMET reported that mainland Spain recorded its hottest September on record and its warmest summer from June through August.