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The clean-up operation in Villanueva del Trabuco on Saturday.
Inland areas clean up after storms hit Malaga province

Inland areas clean up after storms hit Malaga province

Villanueva del Trabuco and Alhaurín el Grande were the worst-hit areas after downpours early on Saturday morning

SUR

Monday, 16 September 2019, 10:56

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Inland areas of the province of Malaga are cleaning up after storms brought heavy rain and flash flooding in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The sudden downpours were the result of the 'Dana' weather phenemenon - an isolated pocket of cold air that breaks away from main weather systems, termed a cut-off low - which crossed Spain at the end of last week, leaving widespread flooding and six dead in parts of Valencia, Murcia and eastern Andalucía the previous day.

The worst damage in this province was suffered in the Guadalhorce valley - especially Alhaurín el Grande - and the area around Villanueva del Trabuco in the northern Noroma district.

In the early hours of Saturday the Spanish meteorology agency Aemet raised the amber warning to red as the storms approached.

Alhaurín el Grande

The sudden downpours caused flash floods in several towns and villages. Alhaurín el Grande was the first to see serious difficulties as the force of the water dragged with it dozens of parked vehicles, especially in the vicinity of the fairground, the lowest point of the municipality.

Several homes were flooded in the area known as Camino de Coín.

No injuries were reported, but the material damage was substantial. Mayor of Alhaurín el Grande Toñi Ledesma explained that much of the damage was caused to municipal facilities. Both football pitches have been "seriously" affected and three schools suffered losses when water broke through contention walls. The swimming pool roof will need replacing and five country roads were cut off.

The Fuengirola road was closed after La Tejá stream broke its banks.

Alhaurín was visited on Sunday by the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, who announced that on Tuesday emergency funds of at least 10 million euros would be released to help the 133 towns across Andalucía affected by the storms.

Villanueva del Trabuco

In the northern district of Noroma, Villanueva del Trabuco and Archidona suffered flooding on Saturday morning. In Villanueva del Trabuco around 15 vehicles were dragged along by the water when a stream running through the upper part of the town overflowed.

Dozens of locals joined the fire brigade and other services to help clear the streets and some houses of mud on Saturday morning.

Juanma Moreno went to the town on Saturday, where he praised the work of the volunteers.

Western areas

Several homes were cut off on Saturday in the Tajo del Abanico area of Ronda.

In Marbella two people had to be rescued after becoming trapped in their vehicles. Avenida Severo Ochoa was closed for around an hour due to flooding.

Four million in Malaga

The Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros - a state insurance body that steps in in cases of natural disasters - has estimated the damage in the province of Malaga at four millions euros.

Some 800 people were affected by the damage in Alhaurín el Grande, Cártama, Coín, Alhaurín de la Torre, Torremolinos and Villanueva del Trabuco, it calculated on Sunday.

The number of residents affected by the storms in Andalucía as a whole is 2,415, with damaged estimated at 10 million euros.

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