Catalonia endured another day of torrential rains from dana Alice yesterday, causing damage to homes, 18 injuries, and over 2,500 emergency calls. The Generalitat maintains the emergency phase in several Tarragona counties and faces political criticism for President Salvador Illa's initial absence. Affected mayors demand structural expropriations in risk areas to prevent future episodes.
Storm Alice caused record rainfall over the past 60 years, with up to 300 liters per square meter in some southern Tarragona areas. The Generalitat activated the Inuncat Plan in emergency phase in counties like Montsià, Baix Ebre, Ribera d'Ebre, Terra Alta, and Baix Camp, suspending classes, non-urgent medical, and judicial activities. There was damage to homes and urban furniture, along with hundreds of firefighter interventions for trapped vehicles, fallen trees, and rockslides.
President Salvador Illa canceled his schedule and traveled to Tortosa to lead the Inuncat Advisory Council, joined by Presidency counselor Albert Dalmau and Interior minister Núria Parlon. However, he faced criticism from Junts per Catalunya and Esquerra Republicana for attending National Day events in Madrid on October 12 instead of visiting the affected areas. Carles Puigdemont stated: «The ambition to govern a country means being at the Palau de la Generalitat attending to and thinking about the south of the territory and not paying homage to the Monarchy at the Palacio Real». ERC's Isaac Albert added that Illa prioritized «the Spanish agenda». PSC spokesperson Lluïsa Moret defended that Illa «was connected to the decision-making space from the first moment», linking from his home after landing at El Prat at 5:20 p.m.
In meetings with mayors, the need for structural urban changes, such as expropriations of homes in flood-prone areas, was discussed. Alcanar's mayor Joan Roig urged «a forceful action» beyond reactive aid: «What has been done is to steal space from the water, which has memory and comes to claim what is its own», referring to unregulated constructions from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Today, the Govern will approve 10 million euros in subsidies and 50 million in subsidized loans.
This episode reopens a debate spurred by last year's dana, when a risk map was announced to study home relocations or economic restrictions. Only 225 of 521 high-risk municipalities have emergency plans. Two weeks ago, Parliament approved a decree for managing camping flood risks. It echoes the 2015 Agramunt tragedy, where four died in a flooded nursing home.