Flood databases of high spatio-temporal resolution are a necessary tool for proper spatial planning, especially in areas with high levels of exposure and danger to floods. This study presents the preliminary results of the Spanish Mediterranean Coastal Flood (SMC-Flood) database covering the municipalities in this region. This database collects information on flood cases that occurred between 1960 and 2015 by systematically consulting the digital archives of the main newspapers in the study area. The search for flood information was conducted by means of using links between municipality names and seven keywords that correspond to the most common ways of referring to a situation that is likely to describe a flood in Spain. This methodology has enabled the reconstruction of 3008 flood cases at a municipal scale with daily resolution while gathering information on the types of damage, intensity, severity and area affected. The spatio-temporal analysis of the data reveals hotspots where flood cases are especially intense and damaging when compared to highly developed areas where the frequency of flood cases is very high. This situation is especially worrying insofar as we have detected a growing trend in the frequency and area affected by flood cases. However, one positive aspect is that the intensity and severity of flood cases follows a falling trend. The main novelty lies in the fact that the high-resolution spatial analysis has made it possible to detect a clear latitudinal gradient of growing intensity and severity in a north–south direction. This pattern calls for new actions by the coastal municipal authorities of southern Spain for adaptation to a more complex flood scenario.

In September 2019 a DANA affected the Southeast of Spain with a special impact on the Segura Basin and the Region of Murcia. Heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding, very serious damage and generally affected the whole population. The main objective of this work was to analyse this episode through a follow-up of all the news published in two regional newspapers, La Verdad and La Opinión. To this end, a methodological proposal was made to classify the news according to: the typology of the subject, the relevance of the DANA in terms of frequency and how the news developed. A total of 816 news articles covering 52 days were studied and grouped into 26 subjects. The issues that aroused most interest, were those relating to the solidarity offered and aid provided to those affected, the effects on the Mar Menor (a nearby coastal lagoon); visits by politicians, personalities and their statements; solutions and mitigation measures; evacuations, rescues and displacements. The database analysed allowed us to organise the information into different aspects and in sequence: (i) prevention tasks and warnings prior to the materialisation of a risk situation; (ii) rescues, relief and assistance to persons, and (iii) response, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Over recent decades, the number of people and the capital invested in flood-prone areas has undergone a significant increase worldwide, particularly in coastal areas. There are several studies that show how the influence of socio-economic factors over local planning authorities seems to be the main reason for exposure increase. This paper explores the causes and consequences of inefficient flood risk governance along the Spanish Mediterranean coastal municipalities. For that purpose, national and regional flood management policies were contrasted with the outcomes of a spatial intersection between cadastral data at local level and floodable areas, for different return periods (10, 50, 100 and 500 years). The results demonstrate a significant growth in exposure due to inefficient spatial planning and flood reduction strategies.