Is it safe to travel to Spain and should I cancel my holiday after flooding disaster?

Eastern Spain has been hit with devastating flash flooding this week, the worst flooding disaster the area has experienced in decades.

Rainstorms started on Tuesday (29 October) and continued into Wednesday. In the aftermath of the floods, cars have been piled on the street surrounded by a sea of debris from damaged buildings and structures.

At least 158 people have lost their lives after the flooding swept through streets, turning walkways into rivers and trapping people in their homes and on the roofs of cars.

It is the worst flood-related catastrophe Spain has witnessed since at least 1996, when 87 people died and 180 were injured in a flash flood near Biescas in the Pyrenees.

The rain has battered the eastern region of Spain, hitting holiday hotspots such as Valencia to Malaga.

Spain’s state weather agency, Aemet, has issued its most severe weather alert in the south west of the country as the province of Huelva was hit by torrential rain.

Here is the latest on the situation in Spain and what you need to know about travel.

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Torrential rain, which has amounted to a year’s worth in just eight hours in one region, has hit cities such as Valencia and Malaga, causing serious flash flooding.

At least 158 people have died, but as search and rescue teams try and locate many who are unaccounted for, more rain is also predicted to be on its way in some of the worst-affected areas.

The regional leader of Valencia, Carlos Mazon, also announced that they will launch an aid package of €250m as local authorities begin to try and clean up the destruction on the roads as services are restored.

Emergency services are in their third day of search and rescue operations, with the official death toll rising from 95 to 158 in a day, with fears that as the floodwaters start to reduce, more bodies will be found in cars or under damaged structures.

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that Valencia has been declared a disaster zone following the deadly flash flooding.

Thousands of people are still facing power and water cuts and shortages of essentials, especially in the eastern region which was the worst affected.

Travel may be affected in areas of Spain where stormy weather continues.

Spain’s air navigation office said that adverse weather conditions due to the storms are affecting arrivals in Palma de Mallorca on Friday. They advise passengers to check with their airline to see if the flight is going ahead.

A large number of arrivals and departures from the UK, Spanish domestic flights and other European countries to Mallorca’s airport have been delayed as of Friday morning, FlightRadar shows.

Aena, Spain’s airport group, said on Thursday that if you are planning on flying from Valencia Airport, they recommend that you contact your airline to find out the status of your flight and check the road conditions from official sources, as some routes may be impacted.

At Valencia airport, there were 30 diversions and 49 cancellations on Wednesday, according to Aena, and airlines are said to be re-accommodating passengers who were unable to fly.

As of Friday morning, there were very few major disruptions to arrivals at Valencia, while some morning departures appeared to be slightly delayed in taking off, with a TAP Air Portugal journey to Lisbon that was due to depart at 12pm local time, cancelled, according to data from FlightRadar.

There had been reports of adverse weather on Thursday Jerez Airport and Seville Airport, so Aena has recommended the same advice of checking with your airline for your flight status.

As of 31 October the UK’s Foreign Office (FCDO) travel advice said that journeys may be affected due to severe weather and flooding affecting many areas of southern and eastern Spain, particularly in the Valencia region and Castilla La Mancha.

The FCDO advises checking the latest weather warnings from Spain’s meteorological office before travelling and following the instructions from local authorities.

In terms of the Foreign Office’s general advice about travelling to a destination that has been impacted by flooding, they warn that the flood waters can cause devastation and loss of life. After a flood, they also warn that there is an increased risk of water-borne diseases and transport infrastructure can be severely impacted.

The European Meteorological Services advises to only travel if a journey is essential to the southern and northern coast of Castellón, as well as the northern interior of Castellón.

“Extreme or catastrophic damages to people and properties may occur, especially to those vulnerable or in exposed areas,” they wrote.

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Severe weather warnings have been issued by Spain’s meteorological office Aemet on Friday (1 November).

In the southwest of the country, an extreme risk red weather alert has been put in place in the province of Huelva, which is predicted to see up to 140mm of rainfall accumulating over 12 hours.

Other areas in the southwest are also under orange and yellow alerts due to storms and rainfall.

While the weather started to get calmer on Thursday in Valencia, there are still several yellow and amber weather warnings in place in the region, meaning those most affected by the floods are expecting even more rain.

However, despite the level of alerts lowering in some places, Aemet has made it clear that people should still be on high alert.

“We are going to send a very clear message and we are going to make it clear. The meteorological emergency is not over. The storm is still over Spain. There are very intense storms, yesterday in Andalusia, today in Castellón. We are going to continue like this for most of the week,” they said on Thursday.

“Many victims in the province of Valencia have been swept away by the flood in areas where it was not raining. The rise of a ravine occurs very quickly. Please be very careful.”

Prime minister Sánchez said on Thursday: “The Spanish weather agency has still raised alerts in Valencia and elsewhere around Spain. And so I urge everybody else to heed those recommendations and to heed the advice of, the law enforcement and protection authorities. All of those who have been affected, please stay at home.”

As the Foreign Office has not warned against non-essential travel to Spain, there will be no special circumstances in place to be able to cancel a trip for a full refund.

The conditions for cancelling your trip will be dependent on your holiday provider, so it’s best to contact them if you’re looking to postpone.

There is no obligation for companies to refund bookings if you want to cancel, and you will not be able to claim travel insurance due to safety concerns unless the Foreign Office advice changes.

In terms of travel insurance, some policies include natural disaster cover for an event that prevents you from reaching your holiday destination. Check your insurance policies and speak to your insurer to see where you stand.

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