Tsunami plan required for Costa del Sol towns

Rincón de la Victoria hosted a presentation following a practical exercise on how to draw up a tsunami plan in compliance with a Junta decree, though there is no evidence of tidal waves on this shoreline in the last 2.6 million years

José Rodríguez Cámara

Rincón de la Victoria

Wednesday, 21 February 2024, 16:36

A tsunami plan is required for Costa del Sol towns stretching from Nerja to Manilva to comply with a Junta decree. Rincón de la Victoria hosted a presentation following a practical exercise on how to draw up a suitable plan. Mayor of Rincón and president of the Diputación, Malaga´s provincial authority, Francisco Salado, has, however, reassured the population about the risk of such a happening.

Juan Conesa, head of the Diputación’s Civil Protection department explained the four worst scenarios of a tsunami, based on data on active tectonic faults. Significant fault movement could cause a six-metre-high tidal wave which would have the power to sweep away a beach bar and would affect the Baños del Carmen, in Malaga city. This phenomenon would take, at most, 30 minutes to reach the coast.

The fact that there is no need to fear such a situation is based on the fact that there is no evidence of tidal waves in the last 2.6 million years, in contrast to the Atlantic coast of Andalucía, which has been hit by five tsunamis in the last 7,000 years. In addition, the capacity of the Alboran Sea fault to mobilise water in a "lake" such as the Mediterranean, is not comparable to that of the Atlantic with its vastly greater destructive potential.

Present at the conference was the Diputación’s Security representative, Luis Rodríguez, who is heading the exercise that will lead to the development of plans for each of the municipalities, which includes public awareness campaigns. Francisco Salado, presented the results of a study on the coastal strip of Rincón de la Victoria.

Salado emphasised that the first thing to do is to reassure the public, because the risk of a tsunami is very remote. "This does not mean that we should not be prepared, because there is a possibility,” Salado added.

The study specifies the possible damage that could occur, and identifies flood zones, meeting points and evacuation routes. Salado said that, in the worst-case scenario, "it is estimated that the highest wave would reach six metres, but it would only affect the beach and only cause minor damage to the promenade. The risk of coastal flooding is very low".

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