Storm Leonardo Causes Devastation in Spain and Portugal, Forcing Thousands to Evacuate
Storm Leonardo unleashed torrential rains and flooding across Spain and Portugal on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of thousands and causing widespread disruption. In Andalusia, Spain, approximately 4,000 people were evacuated as rivers burst their banks, according to Euronews. Schools were closed and rail and road links were suspended in several areas.
The village of Grazalema in Cadiz, Spain, was particularly hard hit, with more than 600 liters of rain per square meter falling in just 36 hours, according to AEMET, the state meteorological agency. Police in Cadiz waded through waist-deep water to rescue people trapped in an abandoned building. Civil Guard officers were searching for a woman missing near Malaga, believed to have fallen into a swollen river.
Portugal also faced significant challenges as Storm Leonardo triggered new flooding. One man in his 60s died near Serpa after his car was swept away in floodwater, according to Civil Protection. Around 200 people were evacuated on Wednesday, and waist-deep water covered Alcácer do Sal's main avenue after the Sado River overflowed, despite sandbags placed outside shops. Since Sunday, emergency teams in Portugal have responded to more than 3,300 incidents, ranging from floods to fallen trees and landslides. The alert level remains active.
In other news, La Sapienza University in Rome, one of Europe's largest universities with around 120,000 students, experienced a cyberattack that took its computer systems offline for three days. The university stated in an Instagram post on Tuesday that it took down its systems as a precaution following the cyberattack and was investigating the incident. The university is working to restore all digital services, although some communication channels such as email and workstations are partially limited. According to Italian daily news outlet Il Corriere della Sera, the disruption is due to a ransomware attack. The university is working to restore systems based on backups that were not affected by the hack. As of Thursday, the Sapienza website remained down.
Separately, in Italy, health experts have recommended the swift return of three children to their Anglo-Australian parents, with monitoring in place, following a custody dispute that has garnered international attention. A report by psychiatrists from the Lanciano-Vasto-Chieti Local Health Authority stated that restoring stable family ties for the children is essential.
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