MIAMI, United States. – The High Isolated Depression (DANA) that hit Valencia and other regions of Spain, and caused catastrophic floods that devastated entire towns, has already claimed the lives of at least 158 people, according to the agency Euronews.
However, authorities anticipate that the number of fatalities will increase as the search efforts continue. The exact number of missing people is still unknown. This Thursday, emergency crews were still recovering bodies from submerged vehicles.
This natural disaster is the most serious recorded in Spain in more than half a century, which has led the Government to decree three days of official mourning. In the region of Valencia, where more than 90 people died between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, piled vehicles, flooded homes, destroyed bridges and streets washed away by floods can be seen.
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchezis in the affected area and has warned the citizens of the provinces of Valencia and Castellón that “DANA continues.” Sánchez called on the population to remain in their homes and “heed the requests of the emergency services.”
More than a thousand soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) collaborate with regional and local rescue teams in the search for survivors and victims. “We are searching house by house,” reported Ángel Martínez, head of one of the military units, from the town of Utiel.
Thousands of people have been left without drinking water and electricity, and hundreds have been trapped in their vehicles. The Valencian Community remains partially isolated, with several roads closed and train services interrupted, including the high-speed train to Madrid, which according to authorities will not be operational “for at least two or three weeks.”
Although Valencia has been the most affected, DANA has also caused havoc in large areas of the south and east of the Iberian Peninsula. Two fatalities have been reported in Castilla-La Mancha and another in Andalusia.
What is a DANA and how is it formed?
The DANA is an isolated depression high in the atmosphere, a low pressure system that has separated from the zonal flow. In the northern hemisphere, these depressions are located south of the established flow aloft. They originate from the polar jet, a current of intense winds of between 150 and 300 km/h that circulates at about 9,000 meters above sea level around the North Pole.
This polar jet produces waves known as meanders every seven to ten days, which can give rise to storms, anticyclones and DANA. Unlike a typical eastward-moving storm, a DANA can remain stationary for several days, increasing the potential for prolonged, intense precipitation.
The meteorologist of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), Delia Gutiérrez, explains that “not always when there is a DANA in the upper layers of the atmosphere, the consequences are abundant rainfall, with floods and floods.” He adds that “DANAs are a relatively common structure in our latitudes and, luckily, most of them do not become so newsworthy.”
