Spanish town of Piedralaves ordered to evacuate as storm Bruna swells reservoir

Spanish authorities have ordered the evacuation of Piedralaves, a town of 2,200 people in the province of Ávila, over fears that a nearby dam could overflow. The cause is storm Bruna, which is dumping heavy rain on western Spain.

The regional civil protection agency of Castilla y León sent a mass ES-Alert (Spain's emergency phone alert system) message on Tuesday morning. The order cites the "possible overflow" of the Horcajo dam.

What happened?

Bruna, sitting in the northwest of Spain, has brought heavy rain and strong winds, with warnings active in eight regions. Castilla y León and Extremadura are the hardest hit.

Aemet (Spain's national weather agency) has issued a red alert, its highest level, for the south of Ávila and the north of Cáceres. Forecasters expect up to 120 litres of rain per square metre in 12 hours. The red alert runs from 9:00 until midnight.

By 8:00 on Tuesday, the Puerto del Pico weather station in Ávila had recorded 76.4 litres per square metre, the most in the country. Nuñomoral in Cáceres followed with 68, and La Covatilla in Salamanca with 64.8.

What else is closed or affected?

The regional government declared flood emergency level 2 on Monday afternoon. Schools were closed on Tuesday in 32 municipalities in southern Ávila, home to about 49,000 people. Some health centres have cancelled blood tests this week.

Authorities advise people to avoid unnecessary car journeys and never to cross flooded roads, fords or underpasses. They also say to stay away from rivers and streams, even ones that look shallow. After an ES-Alert, there is no need to call 112 (Spain's emergency number). Just follow the advice.

What's next?

More bad weather is coming. A new subtropical storm, named Charles, is expected to hit Spain on Wednesday and, to a lesser extent, Thursday. Together with Bruna, it should bring heavy rain and very strong winds.

Aemet's spokesperson Rubén del Campo said uncertainty is high because the storm's exact path is unclear. Rain is expected almost everywhere, with the heaviest in western Galicia, southern Castilla y León, Extremadura, much of Andalusia and the Canary Islands.