Spain has seen more flooding as authorities issued an "extreme danger" weather warning - just weeks after devastating flash flooding swept through Valencia.
Two weeks after flash floods killed hundreds of people, this time Malaga saw its streets turned into rivers of fast flowing waters, with banks, shopping centres and hospitals becoming flooded with much of the region's bus and train networks grinding to a halt alongside critical infrastructure.
However, Spanish weather agency Aemet has lowered the red warning - due to the arrival of a new low pressure in Valencia and Malaga - to orange at just after 7am on Thursday morning. Five communities remain under warning on the third day of the cold drop, with orange warnings in four Andalusian provinces - Malaga, Cadiz, Huelva and Seville - and in the Valencian Community, while the alert has been lifted in Catalonia.
It comes after an alert message was sent from the government to thousands of people across the Costa del Sol, which saw over 3,000 evacuated on Wednesday. The message, sent in both Spanish and English, read: “Civil alert… Red warning activated (Aemet), extreme risk of rainfall… be very cautious, avoid travel and follow the advice of 112.”
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Joseph Gamp
Valencia to reopen schools on Friday
Valencia City Council has announced that educational activities will resume this Friday, November 15, in schools in the city and its surrounding areas, with the exception of those schools located in La Torre and Forn d'Alcedo.
Through a message on its X account, the City Council has also asked citizens to travel only by public transport, bicycle or on foot.
Joseph Gamp
Around 4,000 people still kept from homes after torrential rains
Emergency services in Malaga have kept almost 4,000 people who were evacuated because of a flood risk out of their homes today, the Associated Press reports.
People living along the Guadalhorce River and a further 1,100 near the Vélez River were evacuated as the rains hit on Wednesday.
Natalia Penza
16 people in Valencia province feared to have died are still missing
The hardest hit municipality was Paiporta on the outskirts of Valencia, where 45 of the 216 bodies were recovered.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were pelted with mud by volunteers involved in the clean-up in Paiporta in a visit in the aftermath of the tragedy with regional president Carlos Mazon, who is facing calls to resign, and Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez.
The CID is made up of a Forensic Science Office and a police office featuring specialists from Spain’s National Police and Civil Guard and is the only centre designated to facilitate official figures relating to the victims of the flooding tragedy.
Nearly 170 of the people killed in the catastrophe have been identified by their fingerprints with most of the rest being identified through DNA tests.
Yesterday it emerged 16 people in Valencia province feared to have died in the cold drop or Dana and the subsequent flooding, are still missing. The other eight victims of the storms that hit Spain late last month died in Andalucia or Castilla-La Mancha.
Six lost their lives during flash floods in the small town of Letur in Albacete which forms part of Spain's Castilla-La Mancha region. A 71-year-old British man was the sole victim in the Andalucian region.
KEY EVENT
Two Brits among 216 killed in Valencia floods
The 216 victims of the Valencia flood disaster accounted for so far include only two British nationals, officials confirmed today.
Expats Don Turner, 78, and his wife Terry, 74, were found dead in their car near their home in the small town of Pedralba a 45-minute north-west of Valencia after telling friends they were “popping out to get gas.” Their bodies were found on November 2 four days after they went missing.
Today it emerged the two Brits were the only UK nationals registered among the known fatalities so far in Valencia province as Spanish authorities offered their first detailed breakdown about the victims’ ages and nationalities.
A data protection centre called the CID, set up after last month’s catastrophic flooding which hit the eastern coast province hardest, said 131 of the 216 victims accounted for so far were men and 85 were women.
It revealed 190 were Spanish and another 26 had 11 different nationalities - nine Romanians, four Moroccans, four Chinese nationals, as well as the two Brits and one person each from Ecuador, Venezuela, Ukraine, Holland, Tunisia, Colombia and Paraguay.
Tragically nine of those killed were minors. The number of official victims aged 70 or over stands currently at 104.
Joseph Gamp
Mayor of Seville says city is 'prepared'
The city of Seville is preparing itself as schools and universities were closed, with the exception that public transport continues to run normally.
Mayor José Luis Sanz has sought to reassure residents that “Seville is prepared” and has nearly 1,900 troops available to help if needed.
Watch his speech below.
— Despierta Andalucía (@DespiertaCSur) November 14, 2024"Sevilla está preparada. Hay 1.890 efectivos municipales pendientes de cualquier acontecimiento" por la #dana, ha explicado el alcalde de @Ayto_Sevilla, José Luis Sanz @jlsanzalcalde. En directo
Joseph Gamp
Bizarre moment man spotted washing car as Dana storm batters Malaga
A car owner was spotted washing his motor while a devastating Dana storm battered Malaga.
He was seen intricately cleaning his white SUV with a jet washer at a petrol station. Meanwhile, trees are seen bending in the howling wind as pouring rain batters the street below.
A witness said: “It’s raining a lot, there’s strong wind, and this gentleman is washing his car. What’s going through his mind?It’s not normal.” He adds: “Look at the weather, look at him foaming his car!”
Joseph Gamp
Terrifying moment storm nearly capsizes cruise ship as passengers send goodbye messages
Terrified cruise passengers sent "goodbye messages" fearing they would "die like on the Titanic" when a freak storm tipped the ship "45 degrees".
Dan So was leaving a pub quiz on board a Royal Caribbean cruise from Spain to Miami, US, last Thursday [Nov 7] when he heard "screaming and glasses smashing". The 41-year-old says he noticed the deck tipping to a "45-degree-angle" and began recording dramatic video of panicked passengers holding tightly to the walls and desks.
Read more: Terrifying moment storm nearly capsizes cruise ship as passengers send goodbye messages
Joseph Gamp
More than a month's worth of rain in Valencia overnight
More than a month’s worth of rain has fallen in parts of Valencia.
Citing Aemet data, El Pais reported that the highest rainfall records overnight were 110mm in Alcudia de Veo, 99mm in Suera and 88mm in Chiva.
Joseph Gamp
'Normal conditions are not in place'
More than 4,000 evacuated residents, with 3,000 of them preventively moved on Tuesday night, will not be able to return due to the risk of the Guadalhorce rising.
"Normal conditions are not in place," said the president of the Junta, Juan Manuel Moreno, during his visit to Benamargosa, one of the Malaga municipalities most affected.
The risk of the Guadiaro River overflowing, between the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz, has also led to instructions being given for a preventive evacuation of residents living in areas close to the river. “It is six centimetres away from overflowing,” Moreno added.
KEY EVENT
Floods death toll in Spain rises to 216
The number of deaths due to the devastating floods in Valencia two weeks ago has risen to 216.
Authorities say a further 16 people are reportedly missing.
In Malaga, an estimated 4,210 people were evacuated and slept outside their homes last night.
Joseph Gamp
State highways in Valencia region being gradually restored
Around 148 kilometers of the 160 affected state highways in the Valencia region have been restored as warnings are downgraded.
A new report from the Government on the management of the flood crisis, updated at 12:00pm local time on Thursday states the V-30, V-31 and A-3 motorways are operational, as well as the conventional N-330 road between Utiel and Talayuelas.
The new data indicate that work is being done “intensively” to restore normality on the A-7, where the bypass has been restored , on the N-330 between Talayuelas and Landete, and on the N-322 in Pontón–Requena. As for the commuter rail network, 222.3 kilometres of tracks have been restored, but 124.7 kilometres are still affected.
Joseph Gamp
Watch: Clean up in flood hit Benamargosa begins
Benamargosa residents are working hard to recover their town acfter it was hit but rain and flash floods.
Last night, the river of the same name flooded homes and businesses in the town, with 1,500 residents and located in the Axarquía region, east of Malaga.
Data from the Automatic Hydrological Information System service indicated on Wednesday that the flow height reached almost six meters, which exceeds by two and a half meters its previous historical maximum, registered in 2017 with 3.28 meters.
Thanks to the red alert, and after the disaster that Valencia experienced with the flood on October 29, residents spent the night on the upper floors of their homes - leading to a lot of material damage bu crucially, no fatalities.
— EL PAÍS (@el_pais) November 14, 2024DIRECTO | Vecinos y bomberos se afanan esta mañana en limpiar de barro el municipio malagueño de Benamargosa, donde ayer se desbordó el río https://t.co/e4hw931vlD
Nacho Sánchez pic.twitter.com/OdV9alkNSp
Joseph Gamp
AVE high speed and commuter train services resume
Transport Minister Oscar Puente has announced that the high-speed train connection between Madrid and Valencia has resumed, after Aemet lifted a red weather warning for rain.
Mr Puente said on X/Twitter that long-distance train services between Valencia and Barcelona have also resumed, as well as the commuter train service in and around the Valencian capital.
Joseph Gamp
Malaga town 'decimated' after river bursts its banks
A Brit living in a town in Malaga province has described the scce2nes of destruction after a river running through the area burst its banks
Andrew Poole, who lives in Benamargosa, said: “We’re about 40 minutes away from Malaga in a little village. Normally the river that flows through is dry, it’s actually used as the local car park. We got an alert on our phone on the evening before the storms hit, a red alert for the whole area, and then the waters started to come down and it didn’t stop.
"And then it got worse, and the water levels just started to rise. At teatime yesterday, the river itself burst its banks right in the heart of the village ... the emergency services, the locals, everyone’s pulling together, working all the way through the night just trying to clear some of the roads in and out so people who have been trapped by the floodwaters, the emergency services can get in to see them. Everyone’s houses, businesses [have been] fully decimated. It’s just so sad.”
Joseph Gamp
Tennis tournament in Malaga cancelled for second day
The finals of the Billie Jean King tennis tournament in Malaga were cancelled again today due to the heavy rain damaging the host venue.
Pictures show the rain soaked venue, the Martín Carpena pavilion, on Wednesday, with the event postponed to Friday.
Joseph Gamp
Alicante weather warnings downgraded from orange to yellow
Alicante's weather warnings have been downgraded from orange to yellow as the situation in the area improves.
Spain's national weatehr agency Aemet to lowered the earnibg levels in popular resort after lifting all those affecting Catalonia and Malaga, as well as the red (the maximum) in Valencia, it is now Alicante that goes from orange level (the second on a scale of three) to yellow (the minimum).
Howevevr, Murcia and Salamanca, hae been added with yellow warnings for rain, are added. There are warnings in seven communities, orange only in three Andalusian provinces - Cadiz, Huelva and Seville - and in one in the Valencian Community, Valencia city.
Yellow warnings also remain in Castellón, Alicante, Almería, Granada, Ávila, Salamanca, Extremadura, A Coruña and Murcia.
Joseph Gamp
Supermarket chain reopens stores in Valencia
Consum supermarkets have reopened their supermarkets in Valencia province after the dana alert was downgraded in the area.
In a message onX (formerly Twitter), the firm said it is gradually reopening supermarkets in the province of Valencia, “depending on the circumstances of each one and as the team is incorporated” to "continue offering the best service to our customers".
Última hora: davant la baixada del risc d’alerta a taronja per part de
— Consum (@Consum) November 14, 2024
l’@AEMET_Esp ⛈ , reprendrem l’activitat dels nostres supermercats de la província de València progressivament, segons la situació de cada un i a mesura que es vaja incorporant l’equip, per a continuar…
Joseph Gamp
Three-metre wave warning issued
The coastlines of Granada and Almeria are now under warnings with waves possibly reaching two to three metres high.
The alerts, issued by Spain's national forecaster Aemet, are in force until midnight with further warnings of winds speeds potentially reaching up to 60km per hour.
Joseph Gamp
What have been the highest rainfall levels?
The highest rainfall records in the last eight hours in the community of Valencia, according to Aemet data, have been recorded in Alcudia de Veo (110.8 litres per square metre); Suera (99.5 l/m²) and Chiva (88.4 l/m²).
They are followed by Sueca (83.4 l/m²); Tales (7.8 l/m²) and Cullera (77 l/m², 90 according to the City Council data).
Natalia Penza
Valencia province breathes sigh of relief
Valencia was also put on red alert late yesterday. Regional president Carlos Mazon reacted by slapping a ban on the use of private cars in its provincial capital and another 162 municipalities following the criticism of his response to the horror storms late last month.
But early this morning the east coast province breathed a sigh of relief after the alert was lowered to orange as it was spared the worst effects of the new cold drop or Dana.
The private vehicle ban has yet to be lifted and is due to remain in place until nearly midnight today, with exceptions for those heading to hospital or health centres or people responsible for OAPs or vulnerable citizens.
The storm was moving westwards today with problems predicted for Spanish provinces nearer Portugal including Huelva and Cadiz although things are not expected to get as bad as they have been in Malaga.
Natalia Penza
Marbella left looking like a ghost town
Like many parts of the Costa del Sol last night, the resort of Marbella was a ghost town.
Many restaurants and bars were shut and the few that were open were packed with tourists who took advantage of a brief respite between daytime downpours during the day yesterday and the early hours storms to dine out. Police had sealed off some underpasses to pedestrians and motorists in the area.
The fears of a new Valencia, where more than 220 people died just over a fortnight ago during horror flash floods in and around the provincial capital, led to many people staying at home and the decision to shut all schools in Malaga province yesterday and today.
Europe’s largest department store group El Corte Ingles announced after normal morning opening yesterday that it was closing all its stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets in Malaga province. Spanish savings bank Unicaja also decided to close its offices in both Malaga and Granada province and send its employees home shortly after opening as the weather worsened.
Joseph Gamp
Violent overnight storms in Marbella
Costa holiday resort Marbella took the brunt of the last hours of Spain’s red alert overnight - with a severe hail storm and torrential rain that turned some roads into rivers. Yesterday tornado waterspouts came close to the coastline of the famous holiday town.
In the early hours of this morning hail stones dropped like bullets from the sky during an intense 20-minute storm between downpours that began shortly before midnight.
A red weather alert that had been in place yesterday for the whole of Malaga province including the Costa del Sol was lifted early this morning following a day of drama which saw more than 4,000 people evacuated from their homes over flooding fears.
Juanma Moreno, President of Spain’s southern region Andalucia which includes Malaga and Granada, praised citizens for their “exemplary behaviour” in heeding the advice to avoid unnecessary travel and stay at home where possible, saying: “It has ensured that at this moment in time we haven’t had to lament the loss of human lives.”
There were no reports of any major damage in Marbella, but many suffered sleepless nights after the violent overnight storms.
One local took to X, formerly Twitter, to say: “At 4am I woke up because of the hailstorm that has battered the town. I’m very tired but duty calls so I’m leaving for work. In theory everything’s over now. All my support and encouragement for those who have suffered property damage.”
Joseph Gamp
Hundreds of emergency calls in Valencia made overnight
The Spanish emergency 112 line in Valencia received 100 calls since midnight and handled 80 incidents, mainly in Camp del Turia and the Horta Sud area of the city.
These two areas are the most affected by the deadly floods two weeks ago, with intensive cleaning work, removal of belongings and conditioning of homes and premises is still being carried out.
KEY EVENT
Weather warnings in Catalonia come to an end
Local authorities have deactivated the alert phase of the Special Emergency Plan for the risk of flooding in Catalonia (Inuncat) and also the alert of the Procicat Plan for strong waves.
The bulk of the rainfall has now ended, as has the strong waves in the far south, although the two plans are still in pre-alert for the next few hours, reports the Catalan Government. Mobility restrictions that had been in force in five regions since 6:00am on Wednesday has also now ended.
The heaviest rainfall yesterday fell mainly in the regions of the far south and Tarragona, with some notable intensities and accumulations, such as the 122.1 litres accumulated throughout the day in Ulldecona (in the Els Valentins area); the 43.2 l/m in 30 minutes in Alcanar; 41.6 in Ulldecona and 24.6 in Mas de Barberans.
KEY EVENT
Schools still closed amid alert
Classes in all schools and colleges in the province of Malaga will be suspended again today as a precautionary measure due to the red alert.
The Junta de Andalucía's Minister of the Presidency Antonio Sanz made the announcement at a press conference and said there is still a situation of "risk" in the area.
The suspension of classes, which was already in force on Wednesday in Malaga and Granada, has also been extended to the provinces of Seville, Huelva and the coast of Cadiz, areas towards which the "DANA" storm is advancing.
Chiara Fiorillo
Volunteers and emergency services rush to save 41 horses from drowning
Yesterday, volunteers and emergency services rushed to the Malaga Equestrian Club after the stables were flooded.
They managed to save 41 horses that were kept there from drowing as the situation began critical.
According to SUR, 40 dogs that were also in the stables were saved too.
As conditions worsened, those close to the club spread an appeal for help on social media, saying: "Urgent. Please, we need help. Someone with battery-powered radial saws.
"The horses are drowning at the Equestrian Club as they can't open the gates. There is no electricity. Please help."
Zasha Whiteway-Wilkinson
Finals of Billie Jean King tennis tournament in Malaga cancelled
The finals of the Billie Jean King tennis tournament in Malaga were cancelled due to the heavy rain. The event postponed to Friday due to the Martín Carpena pavilion being affected by the horrendous weather.
Bradley Jolly
New storms inSpaincause school closures and 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.
Coastal areas of Valencia were placed under the highest alert on Wednesday evening. Forecasters said up to 180 millimeters (7 inches) of rain could fall there within five hours.
Cleanup efforts in parts of Valencia hardest hit by the Oct. 29 storm were still continuing, and there were concerns over what more rain could bring to streets still covered with mud and debris.
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. Train service was canceled between Malaga and Madrid, and between Barcelona and Valencia.
Valencia's regional government also restricted the use of private vehicles until Thursday in areas hit by the October storm, when tsunami-like floods caused severe car pile-ups.
There were no reports of deaths due to the new storms.
Spanish weather forecaster AEMET put Malaga on red alert, saying up to 70 millimeters (roughly 3 inches) of rain had accumulated in an hour. Parts of Tarragona province in the east also faced heavy rain and remained under red alert.
The forecast in Malaga delayed the start of the Billie Jean King Cup tennis finals between Spain and Poland, which was set for Wednesday.
The storm system affecting Spain is caused by warm air that collides with stagnant cold air and forms powerful rain clouds. Experts say that drought and flood cycles are increasing with climate change.
Zasha Whiteway-Wilkinson
Storms and flooding closes schools and sees train cancellations as Spanish labour minister urges people not to go to work
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, reports the Independent.
It comes as Yolanda Diaz, the second vice president of the government and labour minister has urged people not to go to work in areas that are on red alert due to the extreme weather.
She said: "We are on red alert and, therefore, you do not have to take risks, you must not go to work."
El peso de la ley caerá sobre quieres hoy siguen poniendo en riesgo la seguridad de las personas trabajadoras. pic.twitter.com/bH0kRMCAR7
— Yolanda Díaz (@Yolanda_Diaz_) November 13, 2024
Liam Doyle
Andalusia government confirms no deaths despite severe flooding in Malaga
The Andalusian government has confirmed that no one has died in the latest round of flooding that has hit Malaga.
While the flooding death toll - which counts everyone who has died since flooding began on October 29 - increased today, Moreno Bonilla, the President of the Andalusian Government, said no one has died in the latest flooding. He added that the road network is also passable.
