On October 9, 2018, ten people died in the floods in the municipality of Sant Llorenç. Thirteen people in all lost their lives; they were aged from five to 89. It was Mallorca's worst natural disaster in living memory.
Following the tragedy, much attention was given to the torrent in Sant Llorenç. It had burst its banks, incapable of containing the sheer volume of water moving at high speed from nearby hills. One effect was to create a wall of water five metres high that engulfed the car in which Joana Lliteres was travelling with her children. Her daughter was miraculously rescued by a German cyclist who had taken refuge from the storm. Joana perished; the body of five-year-old Arthur was found some days later.
Much attention was given, but there was no action. Earlier this month, the professional institute for civil engineers denounced the delay to flood prevention work. The engineers argued that an event such as that of the evening of October 9 could have happened again and would happen again.
In September last year, the Council of Mallorca definitively approved specifications for the tender of work. It is now in the bidding phase. Work, it is said, will start in late March or early April, the budget having increased from five to nine million euros.
The project as it now is has significantly increased the flow capacity, calculations having been based on actual and estimated rainfall over the past 500 years. From 105 cubic metres per second it will increase to 488.5. The torrent walls are to be reinforced, and a further feature of the work will be the modification of a roundabout. Joana Lliteres's car was on a roundabout when the wall of water struck.