Head of Junta after visiting areas worst affected by flash floods in Malaga province: 'We are all in shock'

The president of the Junta de Andalucía visited Álora in the Guadalhorce valley of Malaga province on Wednesday to see first-hand the situation in the municipality after Tuesday’s 'Dana' low-pressure storm, which caused considerable damage to homes and crops in low-lying areas. After a brief tour of some of the most affected parts, Juanma Moreno admitted that “we are all in shock after the last 48 hours”.

Moreno said Álora had been one of the places with the highest rainfall in Andalucía, where almost 17.6 cm had fallen in just a few hours. He explained that throughout Malaga province there had been around 450 call outs, a hundred people had to be rescued and 13 people have been relocated.

The Andalusian president added that the entire region was “in a very difficult position”, as there has been a great deal of damage, especially to the agricultural sector. With no clear estimate as yet of the cost of the flooding, Moreno said that different authorities would be working together to repair the damage caused. He said, “First we will start with the infrastructure, which is basic to bring in supplies and get people moving.”

Sixty per cent of Álora was still without drinking water on Thursday, the town’s mayor said, after the main local well was damaged.

Heavy rain continued to fall in western Andalucía on Wednesday and flooding occurred in the centre of Jerez de la Frontera. For the first time, the Junta de Andalucía used a messaging system called ES-alert to alert locals of the risks over their phones.