“The next storm will directly impact the trains.” This is how the mayor of Vilassar de Mar, Laura Martínez Portell, summarized the severity of the latest storm. “There is no more sand left on the beaches” so a new episode like the one experienced this Easter could have serious consequences on the coast. For this reason, the mayors, especially those of Baix Maresme. They demand that the Ministry of Ecological Transition reactivate the beach regeneration project conceived in 2015. At the moment, the Government Delegation is finalizing the damage reports and is considering declaring an emergency on the coasts affected by the storm.
The mayor of Badalona, ??Xavier Garcia Albiol, regrets that the State “marginalized us without making contributions of 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 generated three-meter-high gradients. The most affected are the Coco, the Petroli Bridge, the Station and the Botifarreta Bridge. In Montgat, the remaining sand on Las Barques beach has also completely disappeared, so the mayor, Andy Absil, has ordered the suspension of the beginning of the beach season.
On the northern coast of Barcelona, ??the beach has receded more than 20 meters, showing the vulnerability of the promenades and front-line public services. In Cabrera de Mar, according to the mayor, Óscar Fernández, “there will be no space for beach bars.” In neighboring Vilassar de Mar, the water has reached the iconic Palomares building. Both 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 Cavaió de Arenys de Mar beach, which has lost around 30 meters of sand, and the beaches of Pineda de Mar have suffered the greatest impact. At this point, the mayor, Xavier Amor, calculates that “damages can amount to a million euros” due to the destruction of pickets and sanitation elements. In Malgrat de Mar, the storm has returned to the camping area of ??Camí de la Pomareda, another of the points of perpetual affectation of the coast.
In Barcelona, ??Sant Sebastià beach has been the most affected, according to the AMB, by a shift of sand that has caused furniture to move. In Viladecans and Castelldefels, the beaches have lost up to 25 meters, and in Baixador, elements such as wooden walkways have been destroyed.
In the regions of Girona, the Calonge i Sant Antoni City Council, one of the most affected in Catalonia, estimates the damage at 450,000 euros. Also here, the City Council demands the construction of new breakwaters, a project, promoted by the ministry, already approved but pending bidding. In Lloret de Mar, the storm took away about 100 meters of wall on Fenals beach and another 40 meters of pavement on the promenade, which has been greatly weakened, reports Silvia Oller.
In the south of Barcelona, ??the Far de Sant Cristòfol beach in Vilanova i la Geltrú has suffered the most. It has run out of sand and with damaged walkways and electrical installations. The mayor, Juan Luis Ruiz, has asked Costas to assess the effects of the storm and repair the damage. In Sitges, reports Ramon Francàs, the most affected has been Sant Sebastià beach, which has almost no sand. “It costs more and more to regenerate the beaches”, insists its mayor, Aurora Carbonell. Further south, the waves flooded the promenades of the municipalities of Calafell, Salou and Cambrils, which are assessing damage, and caused serious damage to the beaches of El Vendrell, Roda de Berà, Creixell and also in Tarragona, reports Esteve Giralt.
