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The village of San Asensio in La Rioja lies buried under a mudslide
Just a couple of days after the grape harvest began in the wine-producing region of La Rioja the area was hit by cataclysmic hailstorms on Monday afternoon and evening, and the small town of San Asensio was partially La Rioja grape harvest threatened by fierce hailstorms as San Asensio is coated in mudburied under a mudslide.
Residents with long memories recall a similar disaster in the town as long ago as 4th July 1951, and their response this time is the same as it was 64 years ago: clean, clean and clean again. This is a sizeable task, though, as the mud has made its way inside the ground floor of the buildings and the water flowed through the streets with a depth of between 30 and 50 centimetres as Tuesday dawned.
The floodwater also brought with it rocks and other debris, and as the annual fiestas on the first Saturday in September approach it appears that there is little cause for celebration.
San Asensio and the surrounding area were hit by two heavy storms on Monday, the first of which at 15.00 left water in the streets and pelted the surrounding vineyards with hailstones. The second, though, which started after 21.00, was far heavier, and for 45 minutes an absolute downpour fell. By the time the rain died out completely in the early hours of the morning the streets were knee-deep in water and mud, as were many ground-floor homes and commercial premises, and the only good news is that no-one is so far reported to have been hurt.
As the clean-up continues in the town, the main job on Tuesday has been to assess the damage to the vineyards on the higher ground which lies above, and from where so much water cascaded down following the collapse of a containing wall that the inhabitants fear the worst. Bunches of grapes lie by the roadside, having been pummelled by hailstones the size of golf balls, and although the extent of the damage to the vines themselves has yet to be fully assessed it can be assumed that the news is not good.
This blow comes right at the start of the annual grape-picking season, and this year’s harvest in La Rioja had been expected to be unusually good in terms of both quantity and quality. However, in the Rioja Alavesa area, and particularly in San Asensio, it seems that this optimistic forecast is unlikely to be borne out.
Similar damage has been done in areas of the province of Álava such as Baños de Ebro, Villabuena, Leza and Samaniego, and while some producers are considering bringing forward the harvest to try to save as much as possible of their crops others are already demanding that the regional authorities supply aid packages.
Courtesy of spanishnewstoday.com
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