Barcelona activates an alert on its beaches due to strong waves and coastal risk

Barcelona City Council has launched the emergency plan because of poor sea conditions. Avoiding beaches and taking extra care is recommended. The red flag is flying along the entire coastline. The Guardia Urbana is reinforcing surveillance at breakwaters and risk areas.

Barcelona’s coastline is experiencing a day marked by an alert over worsening sea conditions. The City Council activated the Pla Bàsic d’Emergències Municipal at alert phase this Thursday at 14:30, a measure that directly affects those who use the city’s beaches and seafront promenades.

The increase in wave height, which according to forecasts may exceed 2.5 metres, has led the authorities to recommend that the public avoid approaching the coast. Access to breakwaters is prohibited and the red flag is flying on all beaches, which means swimming is completely prohibited.

The Guardia Urbana has deployed additional officers along the seafront to prevent access to the most exposed areas and minimise risks to both people and street furniture. The aim is to prevent incidents and damage in the face of the force of the waves, which is already being felt on Barcelona’s coastline.

This kind of alert not only affects leisure and mobility in the city, but also tests the coordination of municipal services and civic responsibility in situations of weather risk.

The Pla Bàsic d’Emergències Municipal is the protocol Barcelona activates in situations that may endanger safety in public space, such as maritime storms, heavy rain or episodes of strong wind. Its activation entails the mobilisation of resources and the dissemination of specific recommendations for the public, with the aim of reducing as far as possible the risks associated with adverse weather phenomena in a city as exposed to the sea as Barcelona.