This Monday (11), the Spanish government will send convoys with Covid-19 vaccine and food to regions that were isolated by snow during the passage of storm Filomena.
The phenomenon generated the worst snowfall in 50 years in the country and killed four people. In the central region, more than 600 roads have been affected and hundreds of workers are stranded at Madrid Barajas airport, closed since Friday (8). The terminal should gradually reopen Sunday evening (10).
“The commitment is to guarantee the supply of health, vaccines and food. Corridors have been opened for delivery, ”Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos said on Sunday.
As authorities rush to plow the streets, meteorologists warn of dangerous conditions in the coming days, with temperatures expected to be below -10C this week and forecasting snow freezing and snowfall. trees.
“The danger is not over,” said Interior Minister Fernando Grande. “A week of intense cold will turn all this accumulated snow into ice”, due to minimum temperatures never reached.
This Sunday, several snow-clearing vehicles and salt sprayers – which throw salt to melt the ice – roamed the streets of Madrid. According to the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, the city does not have “a minute to lose” to prevent the snow accumulated on the main roads from turning into ice.
Even with the warnings, some locals in Madrid took advantage of the scarce amount of snow to make dolls or ski the streets. Others volunteered to help clean up.
“The healthcare team has been working hard for over a year, and it’s a brief time for us, so as citizens we try to help. It’s everyone’s responsibility, ”said Fernando de la Fuente, 60, who was cleaning the entrance to Gregorio Maranon Hospital. There were still people facing long lines that formed outside the few open supermarkets and bakeries.
Doctor Álvaro Sanchez drove 17 km in the snow on Saturday (9) to work at a hospital in Majadahonda, 16 km from Madrid, which led to owners of 4×4 vehicles taking rides to medical professionals.
In town, 90 people have been stranded since Friday in a shopping center, inaccessible because of the snow, according to regional emergency services.
Madrid’s rail services, which had been suspended on Friday, resumed operations on Sunday.
The National Meteorological Agency said between 20 and 30 cm of snow fell in Madrid on Saturday, causing the biggest storm of its kind since 1971. The historic blizzard completely covered the capital on Friday and Saturday, as well as much of it. from Spain.