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Madrid Residents Told to Stay at Home as Torrential Rain Sweeps across Spain

A vehicle passes through a large puddle of water caused by heavy rain following a Spain's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) red alert for severe storms, Madrid, Spain, September 3, 2023. (Reuters)
A vehicle passes through a large puddle of water caused by heavy rain following a Spain's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) red alert for severe storms, Madrid, Spain, September 3, 2023. (Reuters)
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Madrid Residents Told to Stay at Home as Torrential Rain Sweeps across Spain

A vehicle passes through a large puddle of water caused by heavy rain following a Spain's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) red alert for severe storms, Madrid, Spain, September 3, 2023. (Reuters)
A vehicle passes through a large puddle of water caused by heavy rain following a Spain's State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) red alert for severe storms, Madrid, Spain, September 3, 2023. (Reuters)

Madrid's mayor on Sunday advised all residents to stay at home as the capital braced itself for torrential rain and storms affecting parts of Spain.

National weather agency AEMET issued a maximum red alert, which means possible extreme danger, for Sunday in the Madrid region, Toledo province, and the city of Cadiz.

It said up to 120 liters per square meter of rain could fall over 12 hours in Madrid.

"Due to the exceptional and abnormal situation, in which rainfall records will be broken, I ask the people of Madrid to stay at home today," Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Dark storm clouds were gathering over Madrid during the early afternoon of Sunday, but many people were outside as usual.

"I think (the red alert) is a good idea," said Madrid resident Manuel Loro, 42. "The best thing to do is not to use your car today. It's going to be strongest at six o'clock so we'll go home earlier."

Madrid's emergency services sent texts to residents warning them of flood risks and advising them not to use vehicles.

LaLiga suspended an evening match between Atletico Madrid and Sevilla at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid due to the alert.

In Alcanar, Tarragona, on Spain's east coast, emergency services have also confined residents to their homes due to flooding after 215 liters per square meter of rain in the past 24 hours.

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Greenland Seeks to Capitalize on 'Last-Chance Tourism'

A woman looks out from a tour boat as it sails away from a glacier between Maniitsoq and Sisimiut in Greeceland. James BROOKS / AFP
A woman looks out from a tour boat as it sails away from a glacier between Maniitsoq and Sisimiut in Greeceland. James BROOKS / AFP
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Greenland Seeks to Capitalize on 'Last-Chance Tourism'

A woman looks out from a tour boat as it sails away from a glacier between Maniitsoq and Sisimiut in Greeceland. James BROOKS / AFP
A woman looks out from a tour boat as it sails away from a glacier between Maniitsoq and Sisimiut in Greeceland. James BROOKS / AFP

A frozen landscape with breathtaking views, Greenland wants to attract more tourists, but its remote location and fragile environment -- which make it a unique destination -- also pose challenges.
"The effects of global heating are at their most pronounced in the Arctic," Michael Hall, a University of Canterbury professor and tourism expert, told AFP.
Global warming is accelerating "the loss of Arctic sea ice in summer, (as well as) the melting of permafrost, ice shelves and glaciers", he said, referring to elements that contribute to the island's uniqueness.
Across Greenland, locals are witnessing first-hand the effects of global warming.
On the southwestern coast, in Maniitsoq, the sea ice has not been solid enough to walk on since 2018. Residents have also seen it shrink from year to year, in addition to less abundant snowfalls.
Tourists are nonetheless awestruck by the vistas.
"It's terra incognita," said Amy Yankovic, a 55-year-old American tourist.
The Texan native traveled for almost 24 hours to get to Greenland, taking three connecting flights.
Tourism accounts for around eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations, most of which is attributed to transportation.
There is "a kind of 'last-chance tourism', where visiting these endangered sites is about wanting to see them before they disappear", said Emmanuel Salim, a geography lecturer at the University of Toulouse in France.
He said similar destinations such as Churchill in Canada -- known as the "polar bear capital of the world" -- "have tried to position themselves as places for 'learning' about the environment".
But while such destinations can raise awareness about better environmental practices, their carbon footprints continue to rise, he lamented.
Developing tourism in a fragile environment is a tricky balancing act.
"Mitigation of the impacts of global heating on the Arctic is a global responsibility," said Hall, adding that "current mitigation attempts are greatly inadequate."
Greenlandic authorities insist they want a prudent development of the tourism sector, in order to create jobs.
"In recent years we've seen that young people have started to become tour operators," Maniitsoq mayor Gideon Lyberth told AFP.
"We're very, very happy, because young people have been leaving here for Nuuk, to live there, but now they're coming back," he said.
"Clearly such developments will usually be seen as a good idea, at least in the short term," Hall said.