Many Spanish farmers are helping authorities in clean-up operations following deadly flash floods which hit the southeast of the country.
At least 158 people have already been confirmed dead after torrential rainfall and hailstorms in the region.
The death toll is expected to increase as emergency services continue to search for an unknown number of missing people who may have been trapped in cars and buildings.
The unprecedented weather has left cars piled on top of each other, roads and bridges destroyed, trees uprooted, homes and businesses flooded and agricultural land submerged.
The Spanish metrological agency has today (Friday, November 1) issued a red weather alert for the southwest of the country.
Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed Ireland’s “horror and sorrow” at the number of people who have died during a call with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last evening.
The Taoiseach said that the emerging stories of loss and injury are heartbreaking, adding that Ireland will help in every way we can, including through EU structures.
Farmers
The Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) has said that the weather event is an “unprecedented human disaster”.
As the low pressure system is still active in areas of the country, the association has advised farmers against checking on damage to their holdings.
It advised that “there is no rush” to report the damage to the association of Spanish agricultural insurance companies, Agroseguro.
In a statement, UPA said that it has shown its solidarity with the loved ones of the deceased and missing.
It highlighted that many farmers are already collaborating with the municipal authorities and the civil protection with their tractors to help clear dirt and unclog streets and roads.
UPA urged everyone to act with common sense and follow official advice, warning that “the weather can kill and rural areas are especially vulnerable”.
The agricultural organisation said that the storm has a direct relationship with climate change.
“Global warming is putting the Spanish agricultural insurance system in jeopardy. It is the obligation of all parties to find solutions.
“Agricultural insurance is going from being a necessary and voluntary tool to an essential tool. We must separate normal damage from extraordinary damage resulting from climate change,” it said.
UPA added that “agricultural” funds should not be used to respond to this global problem that threatens food security.
“The European Union must create an extraordinary fund to address the new reality of climate change,” it said.
UPA said that damage to agricultural land in Valencia will be “considerable” with the greatest impact on citrus crops.
The torrential rains arrived at a critical time for the harvest of mandarins and oranges and many flooded farms will suffer “root asphyxiation” causing trees to die.
UPA said that the most affected areas are still largely blocked and cut off, so it is too early to give figures for losses or even hectares affected.
In Andalusia, the storm has caused considerable damage to crops and agricultural infrastructure, mainly rural roads, walls, fences and irrigation systems leaving significant losses for farmers and ranchers.
Hail storms, heavy rain and wind destroyed greenhouses and crops in the Almeria region.
An initial assessment found over €30 million of losses have been suffered by farmers there with 11,300ha impacted.
The damage was significant due to the size of the hailstones, about 8cm in diameter, which caused the plastic covering the greenhouse to break completely and destroy the entire structure.
In Seville, rice farmers who are in the middle of the harvest have been the most affected.
In the province of Granada almost 42,000 chickens were found dead at a poultry farm which was flooded in the torrential rain.
UPA noted that the rain has also been beneficial for crops in certain areas which have suffered extreme drought of recent months.