In the early hours of 12th October 2008, one of the biggest storms ever registered suddenly hit Rota.

With vicious winds at over 90 Km/h, heavy rain and hail fell when most people were sleeping. In barely fifteen minutes, more than 100 l. of water fell in the city. As a result, the worst flooding ever seen covered the coastal areas of Rota.

At dawn, a desolated landscape could be seen very near the Arroyo Hondo High School. Backyards, garages, car desk, basements, and even  houses were flooded and, in some cases, covered by more than a meter of water.

What were the causes of the disaster? Maybe global warming can be blamed. In fact, the sea temperature has been increasing along the coast of Rota since 1998. This sea warming is directly responsible for the high gradients that cause extremely strong storms when a cold mass of air reaches the coast at the end of the summer.

But, is it the only explanation?. Maybe not. In the end, strong storms, and even tornadoes are typical of the Mediterranean climate, and they have always happened before. But the novelty is that this storm fell in a city that has largely doubled its urban extension, and the water that previously fell and filtered on bare soil, now fell in roofs and roads and the new underwater service cleary was unable to handle the huge volume of water, wich accumulated in the lowest areas until they were flooded.

A consequence of climate change, or an incorrect urban layout planning? Maybe both... and this could be only the beginning...