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”.
Most schools to reopen in Valencia
Valencia’s city council announced Thursday that classes would resume on Friday in most schools within the city and surrounding areas, with exceptions for schools in La Torre and Forn d’Alcedo.
Residents were encouraged to use public transport, bicycles or walk. It also lifted a ban on the use of private cars.
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 07:00
Huge amounts of rain fall overnight in Valencia
According to data from the Spanish state weather forecaster Aemet, the highest rainfall recorded overnight in Valencia on Wednesday into Thursday included 110 millimetres in Alcudia de Veo, 99mm in Suera, and 88mm in Chiva.
By comparison, Malaga usually averages 100.5 mm of rain for the entire month of November.
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 06:00
Guadiaro River just centimetres from overflowing
Andalusia’s regional head, Juan Moreno, of the conservative Popular Party (PP) said on Thursday afternoon that the Guadiaro River was just six centimetres away from overflowing.
He cautioned that “normal conditions are not in place,” despite the downgraded weather warnings.
The regional Andalusian government has ordered authorities in Cadiz to evacuate homes in three neighbourhoods near the Guadiaro River because of rising water levels.
The neighbourhoods are situated on the border between the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz. It is unclear how many people are impacted.
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 05:00
Full report: Thousands in Spain unable to return home as rain deluge brings fresh flood risk
Thousands of Spaniards evacuated ahead of a fresh deluge of rain have been told not to return home as as swollen riverbanks threaten to overflow.
Local authorities had issue severe rain alerts in Andalusia and Valencia and referenced further storms in the provinces of Huelva, Cadiz, Seville and Alicante on Wednesday night into Thursday.
While a number of those weather warnings were downgraded across Thursday, emergency services in Malaga kept almost 4,000 people who were evacuated because of a flood risk out of their homes from rising river waters. Schools also stayed closed in the province and in different towns in Granada, Sevilla, Cadiz and Huelva. Half a million children in total stayed away from Andalusian schools on Wednesday.
My colleague Rachel Hagan reports:
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 04:00
Malaga streets turn to rivers as floodwaters sweep through Costa del Sol town
Malaga streets turned to rivers on Wednesday as floodwaters sweep through the Costa del Sol.
Footage released by the Guardia Civil shows the river bursting its bank in Benamorgasa with vehicles submerged:
Video: Malaga streets turn to rivers as floodwaters sweep through Costa del Sol town
Malaga streets have turned to rivers as floodwaters sweep through the Costa del Sol. Footage released by the Guardia Civil shows the river bursting its bank in Benamorgasa with vehicles submerged. Around 3,000 people near the Guadalhorce River have been moved from their homes as a preventive measure. Spanish weather forecaster AEMET put Malaga on red alert on Wednesday (13 November), saying up to 70 millimeters (roughly three inches) of rain had accumulated in an hour. Parts of Tarragona province in the east also faced heavy rain and remained under red alert. The storm system affecting Spain is caused by warm air that collides with stagnant cold air and forms powerful rain clouds.
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 03:01
Watch: Cars and furniture lay piled up in mud as Spain reels from deadly floods
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 02:01
Spain struggles to get children back to school after deadly floods
While half a million children stayed away from Andalusian schools on Wednesday as a result of the latest storm, Spanish authorities had already been struggling to get children back in classrooms after last month’s deadly floods:
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 01:00
Generation Snowflake? I couldn’t believe what I saw young people doing in the Valencia floods
Andy Gregory15 November 2024 00:01
How Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods led to over 200 deaths
The latest storm comes on the back of Spain’s worst floods in recent memory, which left at least 217 people dead, submerged towns, toppled bridges and cut entire communities off from the outside world.
My colleague Stuti Mishra has more details on why the floods proved so dangerous:
Andy Gregory14 November 2024 23:32
