The south of the city is flooded and several streets and public transport lines are cut off
The persistence of rainfall has caused Vitoria to wake up this Tuesday with water up to its knees in some neighborhoods in the south, such as Mendizorroza or El Batán. Small water courses run through these places that normally go underground, but have come to the surface due to the pressure of the flow. This has forced some bus routes to be canceled and some roads to be closed to traffic. The Vice Lehendakari and Security Advisor, Josu Erkoreka, has announced an urgent appearance for this Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.
The large reservoirs of Álava, which supply the Basque capital and Bilbao, begin to discharge
The Ebro Hydrological Confederation (CHE) has reported that the emptying of the large reservoirs of Álava, which are connected to the Zadorra river, has also begun. This river has already left its channel in the Trespuentes area and has exceeded first alert levels in other areas of the north of Vitoria, such as Abetxuko.
The emergency plan for flood risk is activated in Euskadi and the emergency services are alerted
The Security Department of the Basque Government has launched the special emergency plan for the risk of flooding in Euskadi “given the current situation of the rivers and the forecasts of continuous rain for the next few hours.” The regional Executive, the councils and the mayors of the affected municipalities participate in the crisis table. “The Ertzaintza, the Firefighters and the volunteers have already been notified” “in case floods occur”, Security reported this Monday, which monitors the situation both from the meteorological point of view (Euskalmet) and the waters. (URA).
Orange alert levels are exceeded in several parts of Álava, Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia
The CHE has indicated that in the first hours of this Tuesday the orange alert levels have been exceeded in points of Álava such as the Zadorra (on its way through Vitoria) or the Omecillo and the Ayuda, both upstream and downstream of the reservoirs. . URA adds another orange notice in the Oria basin, in Gipuzkoa, specifically at the Belauntza station, and Euskadi Irratia indicates that there are also problems in the Encartaciones, in Balmaseda. The forecasts indicate that the maximum level and flow of the rivers, at least in the Álava basins, will not be reached until this Wednesday or Thursday.
Vitoria and Álava suffered the worst floods in 25 years three years ago
At the end of 2021, Vitoria and Álava experienced the most serious floods in the last quarter of a century. The constant rains and preventive discharges caused the Zadorra to clearly overflow in neighborhoods of Vitoria such as Gamarra, Abetxuko or Astegieta. New containment infrastructures have been being built for years. In Abetxuko, for example, the river bank closest to the town center successfully resisted the rise in water level three years ago, unlike the other bank. That episode caused the Urrunaga and Ullibarri-Gamboa reservoirs to be just a few centimeters away from overflowing.
