05/12/2016
PARTS of Malaga province are under water after the province was hit by torrential rains on Sunday, December 4.
Local rivers and streams have burst their banks having already been swelled by last week’s storms, leading the state meteorlogical association, AEMET, to issue a red weather warning that remained in place until 1pm, at which point it reverted to orange.
The Junta de Andalucia and local councils wasted little time in activating the level 2 flood emergency plan, which recognises that local resources are insufficient to deal with the crisis.
The 112 emergency service has received more than 730 calls in the last few hours, with most incidents occurring around Estepona, Marbella and Alhaurin de la Torre, which were the worst affected.
In Estepona, all local streams and rivers have broken their banks, causing areas of the town such as avenida Juan Carlos I to become inundated with water and flooding the Ramon Garcia school, a local health centre and dozens of shops and houses.
Elsewhere, urbanisations in the vicinity of the Vaquero and Valle Romano streams to the west of the town have been badly affected, especially calle Ecuador, whereas on the eastern side the rios Padron and Villacana continue to belch out water.
The situation is similarly precarious in nearby Manilva, where the mayor has asked citizens to remain in their homes for the time being after the rio Manilva also burst its banks, swamping Sabinillas.
Further up the coast, several main roads in Marbella remain flooded, including the famous entrance arch, avenida Nabuel, the entrance to the Las Albarizas neighbourhood, some parts of Las Chapas and the access tunnels to Puerto Banus, while walls crashed down in the Plaza de Toros and San Pedro Alcantara.
Nueva Andalucia is isolated due to the inundated tunnels, and there is no access to the A-7 after the rio Guadaiza overflowed.
The road between Ojen and Marbella is currently cut off between the town and castañar roundabout, with landslides also complicating matters, while there are also a number of flooded streets in Coin, Alhaurin de la Torre and Cartama, the rio Guadalhorce having burst its banks in the latter.
In Mijas the council has recommended that citizens remain indoors and do not drive vehicles until further notice, with areas close to the rio Gomenaro plus La Alberquilla, La Cala hill, Mijas Golf and Mijas Pueblo all flooded and several roads blocked.
The rio Fuengirola and nearby streams have also provoked a raft of emergencies in Fuengirola, with the intersection of avenida de Las Gaviotas, Nuestro Padre Jesús Cautivo and avenida Finlandia, the seafront boulevard in Carvajal and Los Boliches, and the Miramar roundabout all inaccessible.
Residents of Torremolinos and Benalmadena are currently safe, and municipal emergency plans have not been activated.
Malaga City has been overwhelmed after the worst rains for twenty-five years led to hundreds of incidents being reported, and an almost entirely submerged bus on the Guadalhorce industrial estate provided one of the most striking images of the day.
The worst-affected areas include the industrial estates lying close to the rio Guadalhorce and the Heroe de Sostoa distict, while the city’s metro service was temporarily deactivated for the first time in its short history, with images depicting chaotic scenes in the city centre.
We urge readers to take care until the flood waters recede, and please heed the advice to remain indoors and avoid driving in the areas where such appeals have been issued.
