“The next storm will have a direct impact on the trains.” This is how the mayor of Vilassar de Mar, Laura Martínez Portell, summed up the severity of the latest storm. “There is no more sand left on the beaches”, so a new episode like this Easter could have serious consequences on the coast. For this reason, the mayors, especially those of Baix Maresme, are calling on the Ministry of Ecological Transition to reactivate the beach regeneration project conceived in 2015. At the moment, the Central Government Delegation is finalizing the damage reports and is considering declaring an emergency in the coasts affected by the storm.
The mayor of Badalona, ??Xavier García Albiol, regrets that the State “marginalized us without contributing sand as it did in 2023 in Montgat and Sant Adrià de Besòs”. At this point on the coast, the beaches have receded 20 meters and there are differences in height of three meters. The most affected are the Coco, the Petroli Bridge, the Station and the Botifarreta Bridge. In Montgat, the sand left on Les Barques beach has also completely disappeared and for this reason the mayor, Andy Absil, has ordered the suspension of the start of the beach season.
On Barcelona’s north coast, the beach has receded more than 20 meters and has shown the vulnerability of the promenades and first-line public services. In Cabrera de Mar, according to the mayor, Óscar Fernández, “there will be no space for snack bars”. In neighboring Vilassar de Mar, the water has reached the iconic Palomares building. The two mayors have also knocked on the door of the ministry to rescue the project quantified at 50 million, which consists of the installation of breakwaters added to the contribution of sand.
In the north of the Maresme, the beaches of Cavaió d’Arenys de Mar, which have lost around 30 meters of sand, and those of Pineda de Mar have suffered the greatest impact. At this point, the mayor, Xavier Amor, estimates that “damages could amount to a million euros” because breakwaters and sanitation elements have been destroyed. In Malgrat de Mar, the storm has once again raged in the Camí de la Pomareda camping area, another point of perpetual affectation on the coast.
In Barcelona, ??the beach of Sant Sebastià has been the most affected, according to the AMB due to a tipping of sand, which has caused the displacement of furniture. In Viladecans and Castelldefels, the beaches have lost up to 25 meters and in Baixador, elements such as the wooden walkways have been destroyed.
In the counties of Girona, the Calonge and Sant Antoni Council, one of the most affected in Catalonia, estimates the damage at 450,000 euros. Here too, the City Council calls for the construction of new breakwaters, a project promoted by the ministry, already approved but pending tender. In Lloret de Mar, the storm took away about 100 meters of the wall on Fenals beach and another 40 meters of pavement on the promenade, which has been greatly weakened, informs Sílvia Oller.
In the south of Barcelona, ??the Far de Sant Cristòfol beach in Vilanova i la Geltrú is the one that has suffered the most. It has run out of sand and with damaged walkways and electrical installations. The mayor, Juan Luis Ruiz, has asked that the effects of the storm be assessed and the damage repaired. In Sitges, reports Ramon Francàs, the most affected has been Sant Sebastià beach, now almost without sand. “It costs more and more to regenerate the beaches”, insists the mayor, Aurora Carbonell. Further south, the swell flooded the promenades of the municipalities of Calafell, Salou and Cambrils, which are assessing damage, and caused serious damage to the beaches of Vendrell, Roda de Berà, Creixell and also in Tarragona, reports Esteve Giralt.
