“A real catastrophe.” Spanish farmers claim damages of millions of euros after the succession of storms in the Iberian Peninsula

Farmers in Spain warned on Saturday that torrential rain and strong winds had flooded fields and caused millions of euros in crop damage, as the Iberian Peninsula braced for more extreme weather, according to Reuters.

The peninsula has seen a succession of storms in recent weeks, and Spain's state weather agency AEMET warned on Saturday that Storm Marta would bring snow and dangerous conditions to the coastal area, as well as more rain.

The driver of a snow plow died on Saturday when his vehicle plunged 20 meters in the area of ​​the El Pico mountain pass in northern Spain, where it was snowing heavily, according to emergency services.

Also today, a 46-year-old man drowned in a river at Campo Maior, in the Portalegre area of ​​central Portugal. Since storm Leonardo arrived last week, five people have died in the country.

“We have a real natural disaster”

More than 11,000 people were forced to leave their homes in Andalusia, a region in southern Spain. At the national level, almost 170 roads were closed.

“It's raining non-stop. Crops like broccoli, carrots and cauliflower are under water. Thousands of hectares are flooded. We have a real natural catastrophe,” said Miguel Angel Perez, from the farmers' organization COAG in Cadiz province.

Perez said the storm caused millions of euros in damage to this year's crop and that farmers would seek government aid to recover.

In Portugal, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday that, according to preliminary estimates, damages caused by the storms in the agricultural and forestry sectors already amount to 750 million euros.