Thousands of people were evacuated as parts of Spain were hit by almost a month of rain in one hour
Severe storms and torrential rain have hit Spain’s coast again, causing thousands of people to evacuate just two weeks after the country suffered deadly floods in Valencia and other nearby communities.
More than four thousand people had to leave their homes and a thousand homes were evacuated in the Malaga area, according to an update this Thursday (14) from Antonio Sanz, director of the Emergency Plan for Flood Risk in Andalusia.
Five areas close to the banks of the Guadalhorce River were preventively evacuated due to the risk of overflow.
In just one hour, a month’s worth of rain flooded the city of Málaga, in the Andalusia region, according to the country’s meteorological agency, AEMet. The southern province of Spain received around 100 millimeters of rain by Wednesday (13), 78 millimeters of which fell in one hour. Malaga normally has an average of 100.5 millimeters in the month of November.
The Spanish meteorological agency has issued red alerts in the regions of Andalusia and Catalonia due to extreme rain, with reports of impassable roads and flooded basements in several cities.
A video from the scene shows streets of Malaga submerged in water.
Malaga City Council issued evacuation orders on Wednesday (13) near the Campanillas River due to the risk of overflow.
The Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility also announced that it has suspended the Malaga-Madrid rail service due to water accumulation on the tracks.
The bad weather warning in Malaga led to the postponement of the opening match of the Billie Jean King Cup, which was due to take place on Wednesday night between Spain and Poland.
More rain on the way
Heavy rain is expected to continue overnight, from the provinces of Malaga and Granada to Valencia and Tarragona, where up to 180 millimeters could occur.
Authorities announced that schools will be closed on Thursday throughout the province of Malaga, as well as in areas under an orange rain warning, including the municipalities of Seville, Cádiz and Huelva.
received a red weather warning for Thursday. Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced the closure of all non-essential movement on Valencia’s roads at 6pm local time on Wednesday.
The Valencia City Council announced that school activities were suspended throughout the city and its districts on Wednesday and Thursday to avoid risks.
The country is still recovering from historic flooding, the worst deluge in decades.
Last weekend, protesters marched in Valencia demanding the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón over the slow response to the deadly natural disaster.
