Flood-hit Guadalhorce valley starts to return to normal but braces itself for another storm

Clean up efforts are continuing with the Guadalhorce valley in Malaga province starting to return to normality following the 'Dana' storm which brought flash flooding to the area two weeks ago. People in the worst-affected municipalities of Álora, Cártama and Almogía have worked tirelessly to restore infrastructure and basic services, while residents are still digesting the damage caused.

However, the calm could be short-lived, as Spain's state weather agency (Aemet) has activated an amber alert for more heavy rain on Wednesday 13 November.

Álora was one of the municipalities most affected by the recent floods. The overflowing of the river left more than 200 people cut off and washed away roads, making access and getting around extremely difficult. Due to the efforts of residents and authorities, most of the rural roads have been recovered. "It has been a titanic task, but seeing the community come together in difficult times has made it all worthwhile," said Álora mayor Francisco Martínez.

Although most communications have been re-established, some remote houses are still difficult to access. However, one of the biggest advances has been the recovery of the drinking water supply, which is now restored to most homes. The homes still without are expected to regain it in the coming days.

In Cártama, the situation has also improved considerably. Areas close to the river, such as Doña Ana, were hit hard due to the accumulation of water and mud, forcing dozens of families to carry out arduous cleaning tasks. However, the arrival of hundreds of volunteers allowed the process to move forward quickly, and daily life is beginning to get back on track.

Almogía was also hard-hit with impassable roads and significant damage. Despite the challenges, the town hall and residents worked together to re-establish the communications network and water supply, reaching full normality on Sunday.

However, the amber alert throughout Malaga has put the three municipalities and the rest of the province on alert again. Although clean-up and recovery work has progressed at a good pace, there is still uncertainty. Álora mayor Francisco Martínez said he hoped the rains would not be as heavy as expected: "If we manage not to exceed 20mm in an hour, we will be able to avoid that everything we have done being in vain".

"The news of the amber alert for heavy rainfall has already reached the municipality and has generated a mixture of concern and preparedness," residents said in Cártama. Meanwhile, Almogía mayor Antonia García did not hide her concern: "Now we are a little shaky because we have a forecast telling us that on Wednesday there will be another quite strong Dana with quite a lot of litres of rain".

As Malaga province prepares to face the new storm, the general feeling is one of resilience, but also of tension. Recent experience has demonstrated the resilience and solidarity of communities, but uncertainty about the behaviour of nature remains. For now, the only thing left to do is to be prepared and trust that the next storm will not undo reconstruction efforts in Álora, Cártama and Almogía.