Malaga flooding latest: Red weather alerts in Costa del Sol and Valencia as thousands evacuated
Hospital flooded and only operating A&E as powerful storm hits Spain just weeks after deadly flash floods
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Your support makes all the difference.Red weather alerts have been issued and thousands evacuated as a powerful storm has brought torrential rain and high winds to Spain just weeks after deadly flash floods hit the country.
Spanish weather forecaster Aemet raised Valencia’s warning level to the maximum on Wednesday evening, after the region was hit hardest in the extreme weather that lashed the country only two weeks ago.
The province joins Malaga in the Costa del Sol, which is already under a red weather alert, as Spain once again finds itself battling rising floodwaters after the recent flash floods killed more than 200 people and destroyed homes.
In the Malaga province, around 3,000 people living along the Guadalhorce River and reportedly a further 1,100 near the Vélez River have been evacuated, while the city’s main hospital is now limiting services to emergencies only after it 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”, which will see up to 7.1 inches of rain in some areas within hours.
Flood warnings extend across much of southern Spain, with meteorologists cautioning that rivers could overflow and gusts of up to 74 miles per hour may worsen the situation.
Classes have been suspended in schools in Malaga, Valencia and some municipalities of Catalonia. Aemet warns of rainfall and storms that could be “very strong to torrential”.
Finals of Billie Jean King tennis tournament in Malaga cancelled due to heavy rain
The finals of the Billie Jean King tennis tournament in Malaga were cancelled due to the heavy rain.
Pictures show the rain soaked venue, the Martín Carpena pavilion, on Wednesday, with the event postponed to Friday.
Watch: Heavy rain hits Valencia while region still recovering from recent floods
Non-essential activities cancelled and citizens told to work from home
Many municipalities in flood-hit areas have cancelled all non-essential activities, and told citizens to work from home and follow emergency services' updates.
Volunteers have also been asked to suspend clean-up operations and piling up sandbags for extra protection following the devastation of the extreme weather that hit Spain two weeks ago.
The coming storms also obliged the suspension of rescue efforts by teams still searching for missing people off the coast of Valencia, Spain's maritime rescue service said.
Impact of rain in hard-hit Valencia could be severe, warns local official
The impact of the rain could be severe in Valencia after the region was hit hardest by the extreme weather that lashed Spain two weeks ago, a spokesperson for its emergency committee has warned.
Rosa Tauris told reporters on Tuesday this is because of the significant quantities of mud already on the ground and because of the condition of the sewage system in the province.
Watch: Torrential rain in Spainish village Benidoleig
New storms and flooding in Spain close schools and cause train cancellations
New storms in Spain caused school closures and train cancellations on Wednesday, two weeks after flash floods in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
In southern Malaga province, streets were flooded, while 3,000 people near the Guadalhorce river were moved from their homes as a preventive measure. Schools across the province were closed, along with many stores. Trains traveling between Malaga and Madrid on the high-speed AVE rail line were cancelled.
There were no reports of any deaths.
Read more here:
New storms and flooding in Spain close schools and cause train cancellations
New storms in Spain have caused school closures and train cancellations two weeks after flash floods in Valencia and other areas killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes
Residents concerned as workers build barrier to try to contain water in Malaga
Workers were earlier building a plastic barrier in Malaga to try to contain the water that sewers could no longer take.
In the area’s Campanilla district near to a tributary of the Guadalhorce River, resident Miguel Espinosa said: “People are very worried because five years ago the river rose almost one metre above street level. The walls of the school collapsed. Residents' houses were flooded, their basements ... it was a real disaster.”
Watch: Thousands evacuate as torrential rain hits Malaga
Spanish labour minister urges people to not go to work in areas on red alert
The Spanish labour minister has urged people to not go to work in areas that are on a red alert due to the risks posed by the extreme weather.
Yolanda Díaz, who is also the second vice president of the government, said: “We are on red alert and, therefore, you do not have to take risks, you must not go to work.”
Aemet, the Spanish weather agency, has issued red weather warnings for areas of Malaga and Tarragona due to the torrential rain.
Citizens receive texts from government warning them of powerful storm
Citizens have received text messages from the government warning them of the powerful storm that is hitting regions in Spain.
Juanma Moreno, Andalusia's regional head from the conservative opposition PP party that also runs Valencia region, said prevention was better than cure and his government sent text messages to citizens to alert them.
"I know that the province of Malaga is, to a large extent, paralysed with the measures adopted, but the objective of all of us is to minimise the impact [of the storm]," Mr Moreno said.
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