The Impact of Storm Alice in the Province: The Aftermath in Pilar de la Horadada, Orihuela, and Alicante

The worst effects of Storm Alice in the province of Alicante have now passed. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has begun to scale down the warnings. In fact, in the southern coast—the most affected area, with flooded streets and overflowing streams in Pilar de la Horadada—all alerts were deactivated at 10:00 am.

However, in the northern coast of the province, where nearly 200 litres per square metre were recorded during the episode, Aemet has downgraded the risk to yellow level from midnight. The alert, however, will remain active at least until Monday, with forecasts of up to 60 litres per square metre in 12 hours.

Most municipalities in the province have already begun to recover after the intense rains. Roads returned to normal this Saturday, October 11, and only the AP-7 tunnel in Pilar de la Horadada remains closed, where work is underway for its reopening. Meanwhile, drivers travelling from Alicante to Murcia must do so via the N-332.

The municipality of Vega Baja has gradually returned to normal after a night where nearly 150 litres per square metre were recorded in just 24 hours. Pilar de la Horadada was one of the hardest-hit areas in the province, with the urban stream completely overflowing during the night.

Nevertheless, the weather situation has improved and all indications are that the worst is over. Therefore, the town has resumed its festive calendar. The fairground was cleaned throughout the morning and reopened to the public at 1:00 pm. Additionally, the floral offering at 7:30 pm, the 'La Mundial' concert at midnight, and all the scheduled programming for Sunday, October 12, remain in place.

Torrevieja has returned to normal. Municipal services have worked since Friday night to fully restore the city. The cleaning and waste collection service has repositioned displaced containers and begun removing mud and debris in the most affected areas.

Public lighting is under review following damage caused by the rains, while parks and gardens have reopened to the public, except for specific areas such as the children's area of the Parque de las Naciones or the pump track at Parque de La Siesta.

The municipal animal shelter has resumed its usual activities and all animals are in good condition. Additionally, the emergency shelter for homeless people, set up in the Tavi and Carmona Sports Palace, has assisted 47 people during the storm.

The mayor, Eduardo Dolón, has thanked the efforts of the CECOPAL teams, Civil Protection, Local Police, Red Cross, and municipal services for their "great professionalism and commitment to the city during the most challenging days."

In Orihuela, the Councillor for Emergencies, Víctor Valverde, has confirmed that the municipality has declared the period of alert for torrential rains over after constant monitoring of channels and streams during Thursday night. Emergency teams have maintained vigilance especially over the Nacimiento River and coastal streams, following intense rainfall recorded around midnight in the Sierra Escalona and Pilar de la Horadada area.

"Fortunately, the stream has drained smoothly without causing incidents," Valverde noted. The councillor highlighted that the level of the Segura River and the Reguerón or Azarbe Mayor de Hurchillo was controlled at all times, reaching up to 80% of its capacity due to rains in the Murcia Region.

In the Mariano Cases neighbourhood, a small water overflow occurred through an irrigation manhole, quickly marked by the Local Police. On the coast, municipal brigades and the road maintenance company have been working since early hours to clean mud and remove fences in affected streets.

Although the red alert has ended, the City Council maintains preventive surveillance over the coming hours. The mayor, Pepe Vegara, has expressed his support for the neighbouring municipality of Pilar de la Horadada and the Murcia Region, offering material and human resources to assist in recovery efforts.

The municipalities of the coast and pre-coast of Marina Alta still look to the sky with concern. The orange alert remains in effect until midnight this Saturday. Aemet has warned of a significant risk of rains that could leave 40 litres per square metre in an hour or 140 accumulated in 12 hours.

In the north of the province, accumulations of up to 189 litres per square metre have been recorded in Benimassot, 180 in La Sagra, or 176 in Balones. In many municipalities, these figures have been reached in just a few hours, with torrential intensities. In Dénia, all roads that were closed due to flood risk have been reopened since 4:00 pm.

The city has returned to normal this Saturday following the deactivation of the orange alert. The City Council has reactivated the cultural activities planned for this Saturday and Sunday.

The rain episode has hit the city without causing major damage. However, the Climatology Laboratory of the University of Alicante has recalled the different areas affected by the storm. On one hand, southern neighbourhoods, such as La Florida or San Gabriel, have recorded more than 100 litres per square metre between Thursday and Friday. In this area, October has already become the rainiest month since 2007, a figure that will likely be surpassed in the remaining 20 days of the month. In contrast, in interior areas of the city, such as San Blas, barely 70 litres per square metre have been reached.