Storm floods roads and cuts power supplies

Meanwhile from midnight on Tuesday through to 1pm yesterday, 112 Emergency Services reported 121 incidents on Majorca and Ibiza directly related to adverse weather conditions.

Sources said thatduring this period, there were 994 calls. Most of the incidents were tackled on Majorca, chiefly in the Palma area where there were 87 callouts, followed by Llucmajor with 11, Marratxi with 4, Campos (3), Bunyola (2), and one incident registered in each of the municipalities of Calvia, Consell, Esporles, Santa Maria, Ses Salines, Sineu and Valldemossa.

The majority were related to the consequences of fierce wind and driving rain. Homes, businesses and roads were flooded, eight warnings were given of obstructions on main roads. Three trees had blown down, two main roads had to be cut , two fires broke out, six sets of traffic lights broke down and a boat was cut adrift by the force of the sea swell.

Most of the reported incidents were on Majorca (114), with seven on Ibiza (7). The Council of Majorca's Roads department had shut sections on the Ma-15D, the service road which runs parallel to the Manacor dual carriageway and the Ma-6040 which links Campos with Colonia de Sant Jordi because of exceptionally heavy rain.

Sources at the Roads department said that the Ma-6040 was likely to remain closed for an extended period if rains continued.
Drivers were also asked to take care at the section of the Ma-6031 between Sant Jordi and Campos, at the junction with the Ma-6014.
Yesterday morning, some streets in Palma had been cut because of the rain. At 10am the Eusebio Estada bridge remained closed, as did the entrance fo the San José Obrero college and the Calle Cardenal Rossell in Coll d'en Rabassa. The most recent rainfall in the Islands has been at its most intense in the south of Majorca and on Ibiza and Formentera where up to 150 litres per square metre has been registered. On Majorca, the areas where rainfall was most abundant was in Llucmajor (76 litres per square metre), Palma University (43); Palma airport (42); Porto Pi (32);Porreres (41); Banyalbufar (34) and Campos (36).

Head of the Balearic branch of Aemet, María José Guerrero said yesterday that although the rainfall had been significant, it was “within normal limits” for November. Weather alerts have now been removed although light rain is still expected today.

Guerrero said that winds were gusting up to 85 kilometres per hour on Majorca and Ibiza yesterday and up to 74 km/h on Minorca.
Waves were towering five metres high off the coast of Dragonera Island, she said.