Storm Nelson has taken a heavy toll in Catalonia this Easter week, with rain, snow and heavy waves playing the leading role. In addition to the many road closures and the cancellation of processions, the storm has caused major damage to the Catalan coastline. Beach promenades were blocked, palm trees fell and some beaches lost all their sand. The question now is whether the damage can be repaired before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.
The situation was particularly serious in the congregation Sant Antoni de Calonge (Girona). The municipality had to close two areas (Torre Valentina and the central part of the promenade) and block pedestrian access in the Monestrí zone due to damage to the promenade. This caused major problems for local companies. Some catering establishments even had to pump out water and remove stones that had ended up on the terraces.
Sant Antoni is known for its spacious and plentiful beaches, but storms are leaving less and less sand behind. A government project to build more breakwaters has been waiting for years. Since this municipality is a popular tourist destination in the summer, residents and entrepreneurs are calling for measures to tackle the problem. If no solutions are found, the beaches will not be able to cope with the influx of tourists in the summer, entrepreneurs say.
Further north, in Gavà (Barcelona), the beach (one of the worst hit by the storms) has almost completely disappeared in some places. The sea water even reached the cycle route and the promenade along the beach. Also nearby Sitges there is a lot of damage to the beach and the boulevard.
In Barcelona the effects of the storm have reasserted themselves on the beach of San Sebastián. On Sunday morning, heavy rainfall and heavy waves further widened the one-metre-deep hole in the beach that was left by the storm on Thursday. A large part of the beach has been swallowed up by the sea. As a result, some shower facilities were severely damaged and several pipes were exposed.
Also in the Garraf region they were not spared from the storm. The sea water reached the typical beach houses along the promenade. Look at HERE photos of the damage in Catalonia.
Even further south, towards the province of Tarragona, beaches and seaside promenades on the Costa Dorada have also been affected by the bad weather. Beaches in Segur de Calafell, Cambrils, Salou and other coastal towns have damage to beaches, boulevards and other structures near the sea. Look at HERE photos of the damage on the Costa Dorada.
