Malaga flooding latest: Severe rain alerts as homes ‘decimated’ after month’s worth of rainfall hits in hours
Thousands evacuated in Malaga as powerful storm hits Spain just weeks after deadly flash floods
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Your support makes all the difference.Severe weather alerts have been issued and thousands evacuated as a powerful storm brings a month’s worth of rain and high winds to Spain just weeks after deadly flash floods hit the country.
While a red alert in Valencia was lifted on Thursday morning after more than 100mm of rain fell in some areas, warnings remained in place. Dozens of emergency callouts were reported overnight, mostly in areas worst-hit by the previous floods, which killed more than 200 people.
Although the fresh rains appear to have brought limited damage, in the Malaga province, homes were “decimated” by flooding after a river burst its banks on Wednesday in the town of Benamargosa, as around 3,000 people living along the Guadalhorce River and reportedly a further 1,100 near the Vélez River were evacuated.
The city of Malaga’s main hospital was forced to limit services to emergencies only after becoming flooded.
The Costa del Sol, including popular tourist destinations like Marbella, Estepona, and Vélez, is bearing the brunt of the extreme weather phenomenon known as a “Dana”.
Madrid-Valencia train line reopens after storm closure
Spain’s state-owned rail operator Renfe has reopened the line from Madrid to Valencia after it was closed as a result of the storm.
Transport minister Oscar Puente shared footage of the first train departing from Madrid on Thursday, and said that in addition to passengers it was also carrying 250 pressure washers to help with the clean-up effort in Valencia.
What is Spain’s weather service forecasting?
Here is the general forecast issued by Spain’s national weather service Aemet:
“The DANA is expected to transition into an isolated cold low that will be located in the southwest of the Peninsula, affecting almost the entire country.
“Precipitation is expected in the southwest quadrant of the Peninsula, areas of the northwest, southeast, Levante, Pitiusas and the Canary Islands, without ruling out surrounding areas.
“These precipitations will be locally very strong and persistent on the coasts of Valencia and Alicante, as well as in western Andalusia, and strong in surrounding areas, south of Extremadura and south of the Central system. In areas where these intensities are reached, they will be accompanied by storms.”
What caused the devastating flash flooding in Spain?
Spain is known to be particularly vulnerable to torrential autumn downpours, caused by a weather phenomenon known as the “cold drop” – or DANA, an acronym for Depresion Aislada en Niveles Altos.
However, the destructive weather system is believed to be worsening in the wake of climate change, accumulating in the flash flooding being the worst the region has seen in three decades.
My colleague Athena Stavrou has more details in this explainer:
What caused the devastating flash flooding in Spain?
Spain’s meteorological agency, said Valencia had seen ‘the most adverse cold drop of the century’ prior to the floods
Schools remain closed in Malaga
With the situation in Malaga returning to normal after yesterday’s downpours brought flooding, schools will still remain closed throughout the province on Thursday, EFE reports.
Firefighters attend 14 rescues in Valencia, report says
Firefighters are continuing to pump water and clean facades hit by landslides in the north Valencian province of Castellon, where they have carried out nearly 100 services related to the rains since 2pm on Wednesday, Europa Press reports.
Of those, 14 have been rescues affecting 33 people, while the other callouts relate to pumping floodwaters from homes and clearing landslides, El Mundo reported.
Relief as Valencia weather alerts downgraded
Weather alerts in Valencia have now been downgraded again to yellow warnings, with reports of supermarkets and other services reopening after a “tense” night.
Forecaster Aemet is still warning that up to 80mm of rain could fall within 12 hours in some areas.
Spanish news agency EFE reported authorities in parts of Valencia worst-hit by the recent floods as describing it as a “relatively calm” but “tense” night after red weather alerts were issued yesterday evening.
Months’ worth of rain falls in Valencia
More than a month’s worth of rain has fallen in parts of Valencia.
Citing Aemet data, El Pais reported that the highest rainfall records overnight were 110mm in Alcudia de Veo, 99mm in Suera and 88mm in Chiva.
Pictured: Residents in Malaga village clear streets after river burst its banks
Here are some of the latest pictures from Benamargosa, where residents described houses being “decimated” after the river running through the centre of the village burst its banks yesterday.
Mapped: Where are current weather alerts in force?
Here is the latest map showing the weather alerts issued by Spain’s national forecaster Aemet.
On the east coast, Valencia remains subject to an orange alert, with up to 100mm of rain forecast in the space of 12 hours. In the west, organge alerts are also in force in Huelva, Andévalo and Condado, Aracena, Seville, Cadiz, Narrow and Grazalema.
Lesser yellow warnings are also in force further north in Avila, southern Salamanca and northern Caceres, as well as along the coastlines of Granada and Almeria, and inland at Murcia, Alcaraz and Segura. The northwest coastline, above Portugal, is also subject to alerts over gale-force winds.
Homes ‘decimated’ in Malaga village after river bursts its banks
An expat living in a town in Malaga has described homes and businesses being “decimated” after the river running through its centre burst its banks.
Andrew Poole, who lives in Benamargosa, said: “We’re about 40 minutes away from Malaga in a little village. Normally the river that flows through is dry, it’s actually used as the local car park.
“We got an alert on our phone on the evening before the storms hit, a red alert for the whole area, and then the waters started to come down and it didn’t stop. And then it got worse, and the water levels just started to rise.
“At teatime yesterday, the river itself burst its banks right in the heart of the village ... the emergency services, the locals, everyone’s pulling together, working all the way through the night just trying to clear some of the roads in and out so people who have been trapped by the floodwaters, the emergency services can get in to see them.
“Everyone’s houses, businesses [have been] fully decimated. It’s just so sad.”
He added: “We’ve been really lucky here. I think without the red warning there would have been a lot more casualties. As far as I’m aware, I don’t think there has been any here. We were fully prepped to stay indoors and stay away from the floodwaters.”
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