1´500 PEOPLE WERE STILL WITHOUT POWER AT NOON YESTERDAY FOLLOWING THE STORM

SOME 1'500 people were still without power at 11.45am yesterday morning, following power cuts during the early hours, which affected more than 12'300 people in Majorca and Minorca. Nevertheless, Gesa-Endesa operatives were continuing to work on the repair of the lines which had been damaged by lightning. According to Gesa sources, there were 570 clients on Majorca still without electricity at 11.45am, while at the earlier hour of 10am, there had been 6'176 homes suffering loss of power. The grid distribution lines which had been damaged on Majorca were those at Sencelles which also affects Costitx; Son Bordils which provides electricity to Sineu, Llubí and Lloret; Alquería Blanca which links energy to an area of Calonge in Santanyí; and Felanitx. On Minorca, where the rains which started falling a little before 7am yesterday had been more intense, some 1'000 out of 6'124 of Gesa's clients who had been affected by the power cut, were still without electricity at 11.45am. The Balearic Meteorological Centre verified that shortly before 7am yesterday until 10am, the heaviest rainfall was registered in the area of the airport on Minorca, with 36 litres per square metre and in the Majorcan locality of Portocolom which recorded 30 litres. Reporting on the effects of recent rainfall, the Minister for the Interior, José María Rodríguez, announced to media in the Balearic parliament that the risk of intense localised rainfall had been concentrated yesterday on Minorca, and confirmed that no significant incident had arisen as a direct result of the wet weather. Rodríguez praised the work that had been done by local government in ensuring that the torrents (water courses) had been cleared in order to “allow for water to flow freely”. The measures, which had been undertaken even though serious rainfall had not been forecast, help prevent flooding which can occur when the flow of water becomes blocked by debris.