Emergency crews in Oliva were handling rescue calls after hours of rain flooded the municipality. The mayor urged residents to avoid unnecessary journeys as conditions eased only slightly.
By 02:00, emergency teams were already responding in Oliva, where floodwater had left residents waiting for rescue and made vehicle use impossible.
The municipality activated an evacuation protocol to protect residents. On 19 October 2026, DANA Adam brought continuous heavy rain to Oliva and neighbouring parts of Safor and Marina Alta. Pego was also affected. Piles and Miramar were hit as well.
“Está la UME en la zona, la situación es muy complicada, no veíamos el final. Es imposible coger el coche”, mayor Yolanda Pastor told the SER. She said the rain had fallen without stopping since 1 a.m. Units from the Third Battalion of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit, or UME, were dispatched from their base in Bétera to reinforce local emergency services.
Flooding hampered rescue work, particularly the use of vehicles and support machinery. Rivers and ravines overflowed, and emergency services received calls from people waiting to be rescued.
Pastor said residents in affected areas had been told to move to upper floors or seek shelter in neighbouring homes. The Generalitat Valenciana activated level 2 of its flood emergency plan and brought forward a CECOPI coordination meeting to 07:00.
“Tenemos muchas llamadas de teléfono de personas esperando a ser rescatadas. Le hemos dicho a la población afectada que subieran a las partes de arriba de las casas, a las casas de los vecinos y que se pudieran resguardar un poquito con lo que pudiera llegar. Estamos activados todos desde las 02:00 de la mañana”, explicó Pastor.
Rainfall exceeded 500 litres per square metre at some locations across Safor and Marina Alta over 36 to 48 hours. At Forna, 651 litres per square metre had been recorded by 06:30. Oliva beach received 131.9 litres in a single hour.
AEMET described the episode as the area’s most significant rainfall since November 1987. Official figures put rainfall above 600 litres in some localities. Emergency services across the affected areas carried out rescues and worked to protect residents. The Generalitat sent ES-Alert messages telling people to stay at home and avoid travel. During DANA Adam, drivers in Catarroja moved their cars to higher ground as alerts continued, as reported in this earlier report.
Pastor later reported that the storm had eased slightly and life in Oliva was gradually returning to normal. She continued to urge residents to avoid unnecessary journeys that could put lives at risk while emergency services worked on flooded, obstructed roads.
