With Valencia as a recent example of what extreme rainfall can cause, Storm Olivier hit Gran Canaria, closing roads, monitoring ravines, and dumping more than 600.000 cubic meters of water in dams. This time, the scare was minor, but the lesson is clear.
La storm Olivier It happened, but it left its mark. Although it did not cause the Destruction seen in Valencia, where more than 600 liters per square meter fell in a single day, in Gran Canaria caused the closure of sections of roads Due to landslides, increased surveillance in ravines, and accumulated water levels of almost 50 liters per square meter in areas such as La Suerte (Agaete). Fortunately, the worst didn't come, but the scare served as a stress test for an infrastructure network that doesn't always respond in a timely manner.
Olivier's rains filled the dams with more than 600.000 cubic meters of water, a relief for the countryside and the reservoirs. But the rain also revealed the same old story: unstable slopes, ravines filled with weeds, streams turned into dumps, and collapsed culverts. It's not just the amount of water, but the lack of maintenance and prevention. And that, at any moment, could prove costly again.
Valencia The island experienced chaos in a matter of hours. Here, the damage was less severe, but the threat was real. Storm Olivier should serve as a warning: it's not enough to weather a storm if you don't act afterward. The risk remains, and as the climate changes, the urgent need isn't to count liters, but to prepare the island for whatever may come.
