Floods that killed more than 150 people in eastern Spain this week were caused by a storm that dumped a year’s worth of rainfall in less than 24 hours.
The tragedy has raised questions about whether earlier warnings could have prevented so many deaths, while the widespread damage shows how many cities aren’t adapted to withstand rainfall amplified by climate change.
An extremely hot Mediterranean and warmer air temperatures exacerbated a type of storm system that is becoming more common in the Iberian peninsula due to global warming. Experts who spoke with Bloomberg Green said that a building boom in the region in recent decades may have put people in harm’s way and reduced stormwater drainage.
“It may happen that the paths we have left for water ar