The EMU deploys to Ibiza with reinforcements from Mallorca and Valencia due to flooding.

PalmThe Military Emergency Unit (UME) has been permanently activated in Ibiza as a result of the torrential rains on Tuesday. Reinforcements are expected to arrive from Mallorca and Valencia. The Government has detailed that volunteers from Civil Protection, Ibanat (the Spanish National Police), and the Fire Department of the Consell de Mallorca (Mallorca Council) and the Emergency Department have also been recruited to support the most affected Ibizan municipalities.

Heavy rains of up to 200 l/m² in just a few hours have led to road closures, flooding, and the preventive evacuation and closure of a school in Ibiza. During the night, the rain flooded the airport road underpasses, which are closed, forcing traffic to be diverted via overpasses. Part of the Jesús roundabout was also closed until 7:20 a.m., according to the Ibiza Council. Heavy rainfall continued throughout the morning on the island.

The Government's Director General of Emergencies, Pablo Gárriz, explained today that a request for support from the UME (Union of Emergency Medical Units) has been made, and they are awaiting the arrival of an initial contingent from Bétera to reinforce the operations currently underway. Subsequently, another contingent will arrive from Denia this Tuesday to reposition heavy equipment. A reinforcement operation is also being prepared from Mallorca with resources such as the Ibanat (National Emergency Medical Service), Forest Firefighters, Civil Guard, and Civil Protection. "We are establishing a bridge with helicopters to project personnel reinforcements," said Gárriz, who explained that there is an operations command in Ibiza. In Formentera, Gárriz acknowledged that the concern is lessened because during the night pass it hasn't rained.

Alert message

The municipality of Ibiza and areas of Santa Eulària and Sant Josep are the areas on the island of Ibiza most affected by the storm now moving towards Formentera. Due to the accumulation of water, a massive civil protection alert has been sent to the population of Ibiza and Formentera through the EsAlert system with the message: "Risk of flooding due to torrential rains. The population is requested to avoid travel and outdoor activity. If water is entering, please go to upper floors."

Furthermore, as a preventive measure, the Regional Ministry of Education and Universities, and on the recommendation of the General Directorate of Emergencies, has informed families and teachers that students should remain in their schools to avoid travel until further notice. Classes this afternoon have also been suspended, both in Ibiza and Formentera.

On the other hand, in order to assess the condition of the facilities after the heavy rainfall, technicians and architects from Ibisec will visit the schools this Wednesday to inspect their infrastructure.

The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has activated a red alert for the Pitiusas due to observed phenomena, namely, rainfall accumulation. The storm dumped heavy rain on Ibiza with rainfall of up to 60 l/m² per hour, thresholds that correspond to an orange alert. The peculiarity, according to sources from Aemet, is that the rain has moved very slowly, which has led to an accumulation of up to 200 l/m² in some areas in recent hours. The forecast is that, in the next three hours, the storm will also dump heavy rain on the island of Formentera.

The General Directorate of Emergencies and the Interior has convened the Technical Advisory Committee again and it has been decided to maintain the orange alert for rain and storms in the Pitiusas and activate Operational Situation 2 (LOW-2) of the Special Plan against the risk of flooding in Ibiza and Formente.

The total number of incidents related to rain until midday has been 132 in Ibiza: municipality of Ibiza (78), San José de Sa Atalaya (25), Santa Eulalia (25), San Antonio de Portmany (3). Most of the warnings have been related to flooding of low areas and public roads, landslides of urban elements, fallen trees, accumulation of water on the road or risk of torrents overflowing. Regarding the most notable incidents, at the Can Raspalls residence (San José de sa Talaia), where the residents are people with disabilities and mental health diagnoses, water has accumulated in the basement where maintenance work is being carried out, but it has not affected the residents. The situation has now been stabilized and the water has been drained by Civil Protection personnel.

Ibanat has requested assistance with flooding or the removal of fallen trees on the island of Ibiza. So far, five forest firefighters and one environmental officer have responded in Santa Eulària (Ctra. Sant Mateu-Sta. Agnès); at the National Police station in Ibiza, eight forest firefighters, one environmental officer, and one fire engine have responded; in Platja d'en Bossa, in Sant Josep, one environmental officer and one fire engine have responded; And in Figueretes, four forest firefighters and an environmental agent did the same.

Desalination plant stopped

Regarding water cycle infrastructure in Ibiza, several incidents are currently being recorded: the city's desalination plant is shut down due to flooding of the transformer that feeds the wells, and the central pumping station that sends water to the treatment plant is running on a generator after losing power due to the flooding of the Llava torrent. Overflows have occurred at the other main treatment plants—Santa Eulària, Sant Antoni, and Can Bossa—although they remain operational with difficulty.

Staff are confined to the facilities after receiving alerts on their mobile phones, awaiting improved weather conditions and road traffic reopening.

Remote communications have also been affected, making it impossible to obtain information from some points in the network.

Hospital and health centers

Regarding the Can Misses Hospital, heavy rains have forced the suspension of consultations in the Health Departments of Ibiza and Formentera. Water leaks due to the rain in recent hours have affected the laboratory area of the Can Misses Hospital and the health centers of Can Misses and Es Viver, causing leaks. The rest of the hospital buildings were not affected.

During the early hours of the morning, the Ibiza Fire Department handled around twenty storm-related services, most of them related to accumulations of water in public streets, homes, businesses, and garages of residential buildings, added sources from the island administration. They also received a call about a roof collapse, which the Local Police attended to, and several reports of people trapped in vehicles due to pools of water on the road, although no personal injuries were reported. They also responded to a call about two people trapped in an elevator.

Actions of the Fire and Emergency teams

During the morning, three firefighter teams worked on various tasks to clear water from homes and businesses. By area, the San Antonio de Portmany Local Police carried out a preventive evacuation of the Santísima Trinidad school early this morning, affected by flooding on the ground floors and some damage from leaks, which also affected the electrical system.

Municipal Urban Planning technicians assessed the state of the damage, specifically in the chapel area, which has been sealed off. This incident also involved Civil Protection and the Ibiza Fire Department to ensure the safety of students and teaching staff at all times. The school will remain closed until the safety of the facilities is verified. In addition, the UIB has suspended classes today at its Ibiza and Formentera campuses due to the adverse weather conditions.

In Dalt Vila, displacement of earth and rocks has been reported, as well as flooded streets and accumulation of earth in the town center. In Sant Josep, flooding has been reported in public roads and in some garages and ground floors of homes, occasional power outages in various areas, dangerous elements on the road, as well as some incidents with vehicles. In Santa Eulària, water entered the Jesús Cultural Center.

Last night, the Aemet (Spanish Meteorological Agency) recorded 74 l/m² at Ibiza Airport; 66 in Sant Antoni; 54 in the city of Ibiza; 23 l/m² in San Juan; and 9 l/m² in Formentera.

Mallorca, on yellow alert

The General Directorate of Emergencies maintains the orange alert (IG-1) of the Weather Plan for rain and storms in Ibiza and Formentera. In Ibiza and Formentera, Aemet has raised the red alert for accumulated rainfall in 12 hours of 180 mm. This alert is active until Tuesday at 3:99 p.m. And in Mallorca, for the moment, the yellow alert (IG-0) remains in effect. Last night, the 112 Emergency Service had recorded 15 incidents in Mallorca and one in Menorca related to rain. The most affected municipalities are: Selva (7), Inca (3), Santa Margalida (2); and the least affected are: Lloret (1), Muro (1), Palma (1), and Mahon (1). Most of the alerts have been related to flooding of low-lying areas and public roads (7), landslides of urban elements (3), agricultural fires (2), falling trees (1), rockfalls (1) and accumulation of water on the road (2).

In parallel, the Mallorca Fire Brigade has participated in several operations. The most notable were for the incidents caused by the storm in the areas of Selva, Inca and Alcudia, where an electrical installation was affected by water and a palm tree was struck by lightning. All incidents have been resolved without serious consequences.

Mancor Road in Selva

Meanwhile, sources from the Mallorca Highway Department explained that the road from Mancor to Selva was closed due to excessive mud and rocks on the road following the downpours.

According to the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), accumulated rainfall of up to 50 liters per square meter in one hour and 120 liters in two or three hours is expected, with wind gusts exceeding 80 kilometers per hour and occasional hail. The forecast predicts intense but short-lived rainfall, gradually improving as the day progresses.

However, the situation is considered "very adverse" due to the risk of flooding on the Mediterranean coast, where the event could result in more than 300 liters per square meter. "The passage of a trough in the middle and upper levels of the troposphere, along with the abundance of moisture, favors the formation of highly efficient storms," explained Aemet spokesperson Rubén del Campo.