Wrecked cars stuck in the shore of the seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
ALCANAR, Spain (AP) - Spain's northeast town of Alcanar on Thursday assessed the damage to homes and businesses caused by flooding produced by intense rain that fell over large areas of the country.
Residents said that they were fortunate that no lives were lost when over 250 liters per square meter (45 gallons per square yard) were dumped on the town between 12 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
'œWe had to get upstairs to our apartment and then leave it all in God's hands,'ť said Rosa MarÃa Sancho, the 67-year-old owner of a restaurant on the Alcanar boardwalk.
The flash flooding quickly turned streets into swift rivers that swept away all in their path. Several cars were carried away and around a dozen ended up tossed into the surf of the Mediterranean Sea. Homes and businesses were filled with mud, water and debris.
Sancho's daughter Carla Bayerri said that they watched helplessly as 'œpart of the terrace went into the sea.'ť
Other parts of Spain's central and northern areas, including Madrid, also saw flooding on Wednesday.
Firefighters used a helicopter to rescue three people in serious danger. More had to pulled from cars that were caught in the rising waters.
Regional authorities relocated 58 residents into hotels, while another 16 spent the night on cots in a sports pavilion. Four people had to be rescued at a nearby camping ground that was also badly damaged.
Paquita Aubalat was relieved that her 93-year-old father Vicent was rescued from his home in Alcanar by a neighbor when it was overwhelmed by water.
'œHe had all his life in (his home), but the important thing is that he is safe,'ť Aubalat said.
Authorities were working to reestablish transit on roads and train lines made unpassable by mud and water.
Large areas of Spain's north and its Balearic Islands remain under alert for storms for a second consecutive day.
Spain's national weather service said that the country is seeing an increase of hard rainfall and droughts linked to climate change.
'œSpain is observing, above all in points of the Mediterranean, periods of torrential rain that are more intense and longer periods of drought that are interrupted by these intense rains,'ť national weather service spokesman Rubén del Campo said.
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AP writer Joseph Wilson contributed to this report from Barcelona.
Wrecked cars stuck in the rocky shore of the seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
A municipality worker cleans up after flooding in a seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
Carla Bayerri, 45, inspects her family restaurant after flooding in the seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
ADDS NAME OF WOMAN - Erminia Vila, 74, cleans up mud after flooding in a seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
A man cleans up mud after flooding in a seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
A woman cleans up after flooding in a seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
A man cleans up mud after flooding in a seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
View of a damaged restaurant after flooding in a seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press
A damaged terrace restaurant after flooding in a seaside town of Alcanar, in northeastern Spain, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A downpour Wednesday created flash floods that swept cars down streets in the Catalan town of Alcanar. Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
The Associated Press