This Tuesday marked one week since one of those days that will forever be etched in the memory of Ibizan society. In just a few hours, more than 250 litres of water per square metre fell — more than half of the usual annual rainfall. While the water was much needed on an island affected by drought, it came with too much intensity and force. The result was severe flooding, particularly affecting the neighbourhoods of Ibiza Town.
When the alert sounded on mobile phones a few minutes after twelve o’clock in the morning, it was easy to fear the worst. With the consequences of the DANA in the Horta Sud region of Valencia still fresh in our minds, pessimism was rife. The vast majority of people went to work as normal first thing in the morning, as the rain only started at 10am.
Fortunately, however, the situation was nowhere near as bad as in Valencia. In terms of human life, there were only two serious injuries due to falls, as well as a few minor injuries caused by a rockfall in the Puig des Molins area. Nevertheless, it is clear that these floods have had a significant impact on everyone whose businesses or homes were flooded so suddenly.
Last Saturday, Ibiza Town Council, with the unanimous support of all the political groups that make it up, approved a request to the Council of Ministers to declare the municipality a disaster area. And with good reason, since after days of hard work by all sectors, many people are still cleaning up their neighbourhoods and shops, trying to return to normality as soon as possible.
A normality that, to a large extent, has been achieved more quickly than might have been expected. The collaboration of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which was deployed to the island on the day of the emergency, has been vital in clearing the island’s main roads and removing water from dozens of flooded garages.
As well as the work of these deployed personnel, the efforts of all the other bodies involved in dealing with the emergency in the best possible way were also essential, such as the fire brigades, both from the Consell Insular and IBANAT, who responded to dozens of incidents both on that day and in the days that followed.
The port and Es Pratet
Now, a week later, the memories of those floods are still very much alive in some places. It is probably between the port area and Es Pratet where the effects are still most evident. In the neighbourhood’s nightlife area, Mati, who owns a bar with his wife, is still washing the equipment inside his shop, trying to remove the last traces of mud, which is no easy task. It is no surprise that they have been doing this for over a week.
For the moment, he says, he has not received any institutional help. ‘All the help we have received has been from the owner of the block, who has brought in machinery to help us with the cleaning. So far, we have not received anything else.’
Michele finds herself in a very similar situation, having witnessed her business being flooded on Tuesday. The power has now been restored, but she is still unable to open to the public as a result of all the losses caused by the flooding.
Solidarity
Carmen Cárcel, president of the Es Pratet Neighbourhood Association, says that this is ‘the worst experience she has had in the 30 years she has lived in the neighbourhood’. However, despite all the negative consequences for so many businesses and homes, she points out that there is always a positive side to every story: ‘Everyone has come together to help us, to help each other. People came with mops and shovels to lend a hand. It has been a very beautiful reaction from the neighbourhood.’
Not far from there, in Talamanca, the hotels in the area were badly affected by these floods. The UME had to carry out rescues throughout the night to rescue staff and tourists who were trapped. After a week, the situation seems to have returned to normal, as the mud is no longer there as a reminder.
However, the reality is different, as many hotels have had to end their season prematurely. In the garages of these hotels, you can see how furniture that has been rendered unusable is piling up.
In Figueretas, the situation varies from one place to another. While most shops have opened as normal, and the promenade is practically overflowing with people despite it already being October, others have been less fortunate and remain closed, waiting for solutions that, for the moment, are not forthcoming from the insurance companies.
The roads with underpasses, such as the bridge to the airport or the Can Misses roundabout, still have that reddish colour on the walls, typical of mud, reminiscent of that day when the worst was feared on the island