Following the heavy rainfall at the weekend, Protecció Civil of the Generalitat has maintained the alert level of its severe weather and flood plan, Inuncat . On Sunday, 23 August 2026, the government reiterated that caution was still needed. According to the government, President Salvador Illa spoke to mayors of particularly affected towns in the province of Tarragona and pledged support.
According to the authorities, the rainfall was concentrated in the comarcas of Baix Penedès and Tarragonès. On Saturday, Protecció Civil reported a total of 11 people injured in connection with the storms in Catalonia. Firefighters attended numerous incidents involving flooded roads, overflowing storm drains and fallen trees. In Roda de Berà three people were injured, one seriously, when part of a wall gave way in the port area; the regional broadcaster Cadena SER reported the incident. Municipalities including Tarragona and Salou activated local protocols.
The CECAT, Protecció Civil’s situation centre, is monitoring the situation continuously and coordinating measures with affected municipalities and emergency services. The government says decisions on additional alert systems – such as Cell Broadcast via Es-Alert – are based on risk assessments. Representatives of the Generalitat said that the meteorological models from Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya had played a key role in the assessments over the past few days. These statements do not constitute a definitive assessment of whether individual alert levels were appropriate; a review is to be carried out once the situation has returned to normal.
The weather context is one of recurring, locally intense showers, which the weather service had warned about in advance. Accordingly, regional authorities and town halls urged caution before the weekend, recommending people avoid unnecessary journeys and keep away from underpasses and coastal areas. Immediate priorities include clearing debris, pumping out water and restoring disrupted transport links.
Final damage estimates and a complete tally of injuries are not yet available; the authorities concerned have provided only preliminary figures. Forecasts of possible further restrictions remain uncertain and depend on how rainfall develops. According to Protecció Civil, the Inuncat alert level will be lifted when weather warnings subside and emergency operations ease. Until then, coordination between the Generalitat, municipalities and emergency services remains central to limiting risk in the affected parts of Tarragona.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).