Emergency services were placed on high alert this morning after torrential rain battered Orihuela Costa, dumping nearly 40 litres of water per square metre in just 30 minutes in some coastal areas.
Orihuela City Council activated a monitoring and response operation early in the day as intense rainfall caused flooding and dangerous water flows across several streets.
The councillor for Civil Protection and Emergencies, Víctor Valverde, travelled to the coast to assess the situation firsthand and coordinate the emergency response teams deployed across the area.
While rainfall in inland parts of the municipality remained relatively moderate, the coastal strip was hit by a sudden cloudburst, triggering the kind of problems commonly seen during torrential storms. Several underpasses along the N-332, including the one at Playa Flamenca, were affected, while steep streets leading down to the sea turned into fast-moving streams.
Local Police and Civil Protection teams were quickly mobilised to cordon off flood-prone areas, placing barriers and warning signs to stop vehicles entering underpasses and other high-risk zones.
According to Valverde, the intensity of the rain has now eased, but emergency crews remain on alert as water continues to flow from nearby municipalities, particularly San Miguel de Salinas, where rainfall was even heavier. Runoff from surrounding hills and dry riverbeds is being closely monitored as it passes through Orihuela’s network of ravines before reaching the sea.
Authorities are also keeping a close watch on the Rambla de Río Seco, near Mil Palmeras, following a hydrological alert issued by the Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura. The warning relates to a planned discharge of water from the Tajo–Segura Transfer canal towards Cartagena due to rising levels after recent rainfall. Officials say significant additional flows are not expected but the area is being monitored as a precaution.
Municipal service companies have also joined the response. Workers from ILDO cleared fallen branches and debris from roads, while ECOPLAN crews helped transport and install barriers to close flooded streets.
Meanwhile, the councillor responsible for the coast, Manuel Mestre, remains in close contact with the teams working on the ground.
The emergency operation will remain active for the next few hours. Weather forecasters confirmed that the storm had eased by early-afternoon, after a yellow weather warning for heavy rain was issued earlier by AEMET and the regional emergency service 112 Comunitat Valenciana.
