Spain Braces for More Rain and Flooding as Rescuers Dig Through Debris

As the search continued for dozens of missing people in the east of the country, forecasters warned of new flooding in the southwest.

After large parts of Spain were hammered by heavy rain this week, setting off the deadliest natural disaster in the country’s recent history, more downpours were expected on Friday, with inclement weather spreading to more regions and complicating an already strained rescue effort.

Heavy rain fell overnight in the southern region of Andalusia, with the western province of Huelva the worst hit. Residents were out celebrating Halloween when sheets of rain began to fall, local news media reported. It continued to rain on Friday, raising the risk of flooding in the area, Spain’s Weather Service warned. The authorities urged people to stay home, and avoid celebrating All Saints Day on Friday, which is usually done by visiting a cemetery or church.

“This Friday the most complicated situation will be in the southwest of the peninsula,” Rubén del Campo, spokesman for the national meteorological agency, said. “The instability will continue on Saturday.”

While the southwest of the country was on high alert, along the east coast rescue workers were still searching through piles of cars flung by floodwater and homes ripped through by mud. Rain continued to fall on Friday, particularly in Castellón, north of the Valencia region; in Tarragona, in the southern Catalonia region; and on the Balearic Islands, off Spain’s east coast, according to the weather agency.

At least 158 people have died, all but three in the province of Valencia, the regional authorities said. Dozens more remain missing, among them prominent business executives, older parents in nursing homes and young children trapped with their mothers, according to rolling coverage in Spanish media.

Ainhoa ​​Rojas Mansilla watched as rescue workers combed through her neighborhood of Catarroja, outside the city of Valencia, where she was taking shelter with friends. Every time a member of the emergency military unit checked a vehicle, she was gripped with anxiety, she said.

“We are very uncertain every time someone enters a garage because we know there may be dead people trapped in the cars,” she said in a text message.

Despite the presence of some rescue workers, Ms. Mansilla, 20, said she felt unsafe, and wanted to see more police on the ground. Her family had all survived the flooding but they remained without water or electricity, and information about what to do in this disaster was inconsistent, she said.

In the wake of the huge damage suffered in Valencia, some residents have begun to blame the government for an insufficient response to the disaster. A video posted by the civil guard of a man caught stealing a bag of shoes caused public outrage. Many people sympathized with the man, who was barefoot as he waded through the mud. Spain’s police said they had arrested 39 while trying to secure storm-battered neighborhoods.

The natural disaster has also become a political test for Spain’s fragile coalition government. On Friday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will visit the national meteorological society’s office in Madrid, far from the worst-affected areas. Observers say it is a show of solidarity for the agency, which has faced criticism from political leaders who say its warnings came too late. Opposition leaders have blamed the government for centralizing response efforts.

Along with 1,200 officers from the national police, civil guard and other security forces, the military sent a further 500 soldiers to join the rescue effort, Spain’s defense ministry said.