Spain Deploys Military Emergencies Unit to Oliva as Record Rain Floods Valencia Coast
Spain’s Ministry of Defence has deployed soldiers from the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) to Oliva, on the Valencia coast, after torrential rain from a storm named Adam caused flooding across the La Safor district on Monday, 19 October. The ministry announced the deployment on its official X account, saying the UME had joined the regional emergency response.
- Troops from the UME’s Third Intervention Battalion left their base in Bétera for Oliva
- The regional government raised the emergency to situation level 2
- More than 600 litres per square metre fell in about 36 hours in parts of La Safor
- Spain’s weather agency AEMET called it the area’s most significant rain episode since November 1987
- Helicopter rescues were carried out in Oliva
Military unit joins rescue effort
According to the UME, units from its Third Intervention Battalion, based in Bétera near Valencia, set off early on Monday to reinforce local and regional emergency services in Oliva and nearby Pego. The Generalitat Valenciana activated emergency situation 2 and brought forward its emergency coordination meeting to 07:00. Spain’s Defence Ministry thanked the unit on X, writing that the UME is always there when needed.
Extreme rainfall
The storm, a cut-off low pressure system known in Spain as a DANA, has been dumping rain on the area since Sunday night. AEMET said more than 500 litres per square metre fell in 48 hours between Pego, Real de Gandia, Villalonga and Barx, with some points topping 600. The Avamet network recorded 651 litres per square metre at Forna by 06:30. At Oliva beach, AEMET measured almost 132 litres in a single hour. The agency issued its highest warnings for La Safor and northern La Marina Alta.
Rescues under way
The regional emergency service requested a firefighting helicopter for rescues in Oliva. Government delegate Pilar Bernabé said on X that the danger in rivers and ravines was extraordinary and that multiple rescues were taking place. Residents were told not to travel and to move to higher floors.
What is the UME?
The Military Emergencies Unit was created in 2005 to respond to natural disasters and major emergencies across Spain. It played a central role in the response to the deadly floods that struck Valencia in October 2024, and its rapid deployment to Oliva reflects lessons from that disaster.
Featured image: Anfas Press / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
