RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service

2010-03-11 04:26:42 - Power Outage - Spain

EDIS CODE: PW-20100311-25279-ESP
Date & Time: 2010-03-11 04:26:42 [UTC]
Area: Spain, Catalonia, Catalonia-wide,

Damage level: Moderate (Level 2)
Affected person(s): 20000

Not confirmed information!

Description:

Three days after the historic snowfall that brought Catalunya to a standstill, some 20,000 homes are still without power, most of them in the Girona area. Depite the fact that over 50,000 homes were still without electricity this morning, a spokesperson for Fecsa-Endesa assured the press that by the end of the day this figure would be reduced to 20,000, concentrated mainly along the Costa Brava coastline, which has been most severely affected by the snowstorm. Although still problematic, the situation on the AP-7 motorway heading towards the French border has also improved during the course of the day, with lorries allowed to ciculate again and tailbacks reduced from over 50km to just over 6km. The regional interior minister, Joan Boada, today blamed France for the border problems and Fecsa-Endesa and REE (Red Eléctrica Española) for the continuing problems three days after the snowfall. Opposition politicians have criticised the government for looking for a scapegoat and not accepting the blame, and described the situation as something one would expect "in a third world country". Criticism has also come from the towns affected, for example from the mayor of Tordera (Barcelona), Joan Carles García (CiU), who complained that the coordination between the Interior ministry and the town halls was "non-existent", and that he was unable to make contact with anyone in a position of responsibility during the most critical moments.

Posted:2010-03-11 04:26:42 [UTC]