Spain’s streets turned into rivers after it’s hit by more devastating floods
Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Spain’s Málaga province as it was battered by floods, tornados and hail last night.
It’s been two weeks since more than 220 people died in flash floods caused by a year’s worth of rain falling in a single day in eastern and southern regions like Valencia and Andalusia.
Fearing a repeat, restaurants, bars, supermarkets, schools and bank branches were closed, and underpasses were sealed off, across Málaga.
It left the regional capital and the wider Costa del Sol looking like ghost towns, with roughly 4,000 people evacuated across the province during the red weather alert.
When the violent storms arrived overnight, it unleashed torrents of water barrelling downhill, turning roads into rivers as it rushed towards the coastline.
One resident, who filmed the flooding in Marbella’s Puente Malaga, said: ‘I’ve never seen it rain so hard for so long in Marbella. And non-stop storms, lightning and hail.’
The hailstones were so heavy they woke sleeping residents when they smashed into windows.
One woman said: ‘What’s falling on Marbella is incredible. Hail, torrential rain, what a storm.’
It even saw waterspouts and tornadoes form, ripping off roofs and spinning the debris around in the sky.
Tractors have been out today clearing streets strewn with rubble, and men have been pictured scraping mud from a church floor.
But despite the brown film coating the ground, there are no reports of major damage, and no known deaths.
‘At this moment in time we haven’t had to lament the loss of human lives’, according to Juanma Moreno, President of Spain’s southern region Andalucia.
He credited the evacuations, closures, and decisions to stay at home, for avoiding a repeat of last month’s disaster.
In Valencia, where most of the deaths occurred, regional president Carlos Mazon banned the use of most private vehicles across much of the province.
This is due to remain in place until midnight today.
Mazon faced criticism for his response to the deadly storm two weeks ago, leading to 130,000 people marching through the streets to demand his resignation on Saturday.
The super storm came after a red warning was issued by the country’s weather office, the highest alert possible.
But many were still taken off guard by the conditions, without plans for mass evacuations such as were seen for Hurricane Milton which hit Florida earlier this month.
As a result, people were on the school run, returning from work or shopping in supermarkets when the rush of brown flood waters washed them away.
It left search and rescue teams with the task of scouring submerged underground carparks, flooded garages and piled up cars, as they looked for survivors and bodies.
Where are there floods in Spain?
This time around, the flooding has been concentrated on the southern coast of Spain.
In particular, it’s the tourist hotspots of Marbella, Velez and Estepona, in the Málaga province, that have took the brunt of the storms.
Why is Spain flooding?
Such violent storms are the result of a weather system called ‘Dana’, which form when an area of low pressure and cold air gets cut off from the main jet stream, leaving it trapped in place instead of passing by quickly.
This time, and two weeks ago, it got stuck over Spain, unleashing a year’s worth of rain in a concentrated area.
Droughts preceding the torrential rain meant the ground was too dry and hard to absorb the water quick enough, so it overflowed from rivers and down streets instead.
What travel restrictions are in place?
There are no specific travel restrictions in place for UK nationals visiting Spain.
However, the Foreign Office did advise extra caution.
In an update, it said: ‘Severe weather and flooding is affecting many areas along the Mediterranean coastline of Spain.
‘In particular, many parts of the Valencia region and Castilla La Mancha continue to be severely affected by recent flooding.
‘Journeys may be affected. Check the latest weather warnings from Spain’s meteorological office before you travel and follow instructions from local authorities.’
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