Floods in Spain: Because Who Needs Sunshine and Siestas, Anyway?
Ah, Spain. Land of sun-kissed beaches, passionate flamenco, and… torrential rains that turn your streets into rivers? Yeah, that’s the one. (Jimmy Carr chuckles)
On Wednesday, the lovely city of Malaga was treated to a two-hour deluge of muddy water, because who needs a peaceful evening stroll when you can have a torrent of filth gushing down the streets? (Rowan Atkinson’s Blackadder voice) "Oh, lovely. Just what I needed. A spot of mud to go with my tapas."
According to reports, the flooding was caused by a "cold drop," which sounds like a rejected cocktail name, but is actually a fancy term for a high-altitude depression. (Ricky Gervais’ voice) "You know, like when I get a cold, but instead of just feeling miserable, I get to destroy an entire city."
Now, I know what you’re thinking: "Spain, isn’t that the place with the nice weather?" Well, yes and no. It’s like that one friend who’s always smiling, but secretly has a volatile temper. (Lee Evans’ voice) "Oi, Spain! You’re like a right moody one, ain’t ya? One minute it’s all sunshine and sangria, the next it’s like the apocalypse!"
But seriously, folks, the flooding was no joke. Over 4,200 people were evacuated, and several roads were closed, including the metro and train lines to Madrid. (Jimmy Carr’s voice) "I mean, what’s the point of having a siesta when you can’t even get to the train station?"
However, unlike the recent flooding in Valencia, the authorities in Malaga were on the ball, giving residents plenty of warning to prepare for the worst. (Rowan Atkinson’s voice) "Ah, excellent. Because nothing says ‘prepared’ like a bunch of Spaniards running around, shouting ‘Ay, caramba!’ and waving their arms."
All joking aside, it’s good to hear that no lives were lost, and the city is now recovering from the floods. (Ricky Gervais’ voice) "Yeah, because when it comes to disasters, Spain’s got it down to a science. I mean, who needs a functioning infrastructure when you can just have a good old-fashioned flood every now and then?"
And finally, a special mention to the poor tennis players who had their match postponed due to the bad weather. (Lee Evans’ voice) "Oi, Billie Jean King Cup, you should’ve known better than to schedule a match in Spain during the rainy season. That’s like trying to have a picnic in a war zone."
Well, that’s all for now, folks. Spain, we hope you’re drying off nicely, and we look forward to your next dramatic weather event. (Jimmy Carr’s voice) "After all, as the saying goes, ‘when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’ But when life gives you floods, just… well, just build an ark, I suppose."
Image credits: BFMTV
In the space of two hours, several tens of centimeters of muddy water poured into the streets of the Andalusian city.
No respite for Spain. While the two areas affected in recent hours by a red alert by the Spanish Meteorological Institute (Aemet) for torrential rains, the regions of Malaga and Valencia, were downgraded to orange on Thursday November 14, damage is to be reported , especially in the Andalusian city.
This new alert was caused by the presence of a new “cold drop”, an isolated high altitude depression quite common in autumn on the Spanish Mediterranean coast.
Torrents of mud
On Wednesday, in the space of a few hours, torrents of muddy water poured into the streets of Malaga. In places, several tens of centimeters of water washed away cars and tree trunks.
Images of the floods which affected Malaga, Spain, November 13, 2024 © BFMTV
“We had a continuous trickle of water falling from the roof, and very quickly, in less than two hours, flooding in all the streets which could range from 5 to 10 cm because we are in an area of 50 to 100 m hills. 80cm in the city center,” Stanislas, a resident of the Andalusian city, told BFMTV.
In the city center, where several roads were flooded, the metro was closed, the train line to Madrid was suspended and several flights were canceled or diverted.
More than 4,200 people were also evacuated “preventatively”, according to the authorities, while the area was experiencing the worst flooding in 37 years.
Early warning
Unlike what happened in Valencia two weeks ago, local authorities gave the alert well in advance of the rainy event, which allowed residents to prepare for rising water levels. . No victims are to be counted.
“Today, Malaga is paralyzed,” declared the president of the Andalusia region, Juan Manuel Moreno, during a trip to Seville. “Prevention is better than cure, we saw it in Valencia,” he insisted.
Images of the floods which affected the Malaga metro, Spain, November 13, 2024 © BFMTV
“Everything is going well since we were warned last night,” Ida Maria Ledesma Martin, a resident of Campanillas, near Malaga, nevertheless assured AFP. “This morning, around 10 a.m., police officers went through the streets to warn everyone, the deployment is very good and I think it is not exaggerated at all.”
In this seaside town popular with tourists, bad weather also led to the postponement to Friday of a match between Spain and Poland as part of the Billie Jean King Cup in women’s tennis, which was to be played on Wednesday afternoon.
