Emergency services deal with more than 1,500 incidents as Storm Bernard hits Andalucia

More than 500 incidents were recorded in different parts of Andalucia this Sunday, October 22, between 3 pm and 7 pm as Storm Bernard made its way across Spain.

The majority of them were caused by strong winds and rain and occurred mainly in the provinces of Cádiz and Huelva according to the 112 Andalucia Emergency Services. Bernard had already deposited large quantities of rain on Portugal earlier in the day before entering Spain.

As confirmed in a tweet from 112, by 11.30 pm this evening, the total number had exceeded 1,500 incidents.

🔴Ascienden a más de 1.500 las incidencias gestionadas por el 112 debido al paso de la borrasca #Bernard

Todos los datos sobre este #Balance112 y podcast aquí 👇
https://t.co/wMpeaonATG pic.twitter.com/QJUKXWwYgD

— Emergencias 112 (@E112Andalucia) October 22, 2023

Bernard’s strong gusts of wind brought trees down as well as branches, accompanied by the displacement of furniture, fences, signs, and even falling masonry from buildings, reported cope.es.

Cádiz province suffered the highest number of incidents, followed by Huelva, although the latter had the largest concentration of incidents related to rainfall according to 112.

In the province of Cádiz, the 112 switchboard operators dealt more than 300 incidents. Most of these were concentrated in the towns of Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, San Fernando and Cádiz capital itself.

Calls were also received from Vejer de la Frontera, Chiclana de la Frontera, El Bosque, Rota, the Port of Santa María, and Barbate.

Among the most notable incidents was the fall of two trees, one on Calle Hibiscus in the city of Cádiz and another on Calle Velázquez Street in Jerez de la Frontera.

In San Fernando, part of the sports pavilion located on Avenida Doctor Revuelta Soba was blown down although none of these notices indicated personal injury to members of the public. In Los Barrios, several warnings were issued for specific street flooding.

Another 200 incidents were handled in Huelva province

The province of Huelva saw more than 200 incidents, most due to wind and concentrated especially in the capital city. A tree on two cars on Calle Gonzalo de Berceo street, again with no report of personal injury.

Warnings have also been issued, although to a lesser extent, in other municipalities of the province, such as Isla Cristina, Ayamonte and Lepe. Most of these warnings were due to the flooding of streets and some homes and commercial premises.

In the city of Huelva, the flooding of streets, homes and establishments was reported. In Calle Alemania, the emergency services were called upon to deal with a car that had collided with a container that was floating in the floodwaters. In addition, the A-497 bridge was closed due to the storm.

More than 300 incidents were recorded in Sevilla and Granada

Around thirty incidents were recorded earlier in the afternoon in the provinces of Sevilla and Granada. In the case of Sevilla the incidents began to occur after 7 pm, finally totalling more than 300.

Most of the incidents in the city of Sevilla involved falling trees and branches as well as other objects such as fences and street furniture.

Due to trees being brought down by the strong gusts of wind, the AP-4 motorway was closed to traffic in the direction of Sevilla, in the section close to the town of Las Cabezas de San Juan.

Similarly, the N-IV highway was cut at Km 570, in the municipality of Utrera, due to the fall of a palm tree. There were also numerous incidents on the railway lines in the region due to falling trees.

In Granada, the strong gusts of wind caused a tree to fall in the gardens of the Alhambra on Calle Cuesta Gomerez, resulting in three people being injured and taken to a local health centre.

A total of 14 wind-related incidents were reported in Malaga province up until 7 pm. These occurred mainly in the municipalities of Antequera and Villanueva del Trabuco.

In Córdoba, 112 registered a dozen warnings, all due to wind, with the majority happening in the capital due to falling branches and trees.