They assess to declare Madrid a disaster area | …

The authorities of Madrid assess declare as disaster zone in the Spanish capital after Filomena, the historical snowfall fall during this weekend and this has already caused four dead. The local government is asking citizens to work together to remove snow from strategic communication routes.

“We see pictures of the snowball war, of people skiing, and what we want to ask of these people and all the citizens is to be strong, to be well and to us help remove as much snow as possible, ”said Madrid Regional President (Governor) Isabel Díaz-Ayuso.

So far they have been reported four killed by the storm: a 54-year-old man buried in snow in Zarzalejo; a couple who died after their car was taken in Malaga; and a homeless man who froze in Zaragoza.

Díaz-Ayuso warned that after the largest snowfall in the capital in 50 years, “there are now critical hours for this snow to become a big ice rink,” he warned.

In addition to the fallen trees, in Madrid, snowfall made the population leave on skis, caused the closure of the airport, blocked streets, highways and railroads. The only way that remains in service is the metro, local newspapers report.

The mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, assesses the alternative of declaring Madrid as disaster area “due to the damage and the state of the city”.

According to the newspaper El País, in Madrid and Castile-La Mancha, classes were suspended until Wednesday, although the red alert that had been in effect since Friday was lifted. Five other communities (Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia, Aragon and La Rioja) were affected by the snowfall, but with a lower incidence. There are still four provinces on alert: Castellón, Tarragona, Teruel and Zaragoza.