Record rainfall sees worst floods since 1940s

December 24, 2009  •  Cadiz, Lead2, Sevilla  •  14 Comments

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• Photograph by Karl Smallman

FREAK flooding has led to the closure of hundreds of roads and railways around Andalucia.

Rivers burst their banks in many parts of the region, leading to hundreds of homes being flooded over the Christmas period.

In Ronda a number of horses were allegedly swept to their death at La Indiana, while a horse was also killed when a river flooded in Setenil.

Dozens of homes were flooded in the La Indiana and Llano de la Cruz areas of Ronda, as well as in nearby Benaojan and Jimera de Libar.

In Jimera six families had to be evacuated, as the mayor claimed it was the worst flooding the village had seen since 1947.

The Ronda area has seen up to 400 litres of rain in just over a week. In total up to 80 litres fell in Malaga in just 24 hours.

“We had had 230 litres in just four days,” said vineyard owner Jose Ramos Paul, in Ronda. “It is the heaviest rainfall we have seen here in ten years.

“It is far too much in far too short a time and is not good for the land.”

Bridges were swept away and dozens of families were cut off around the region.

The heavy rain during the Christmas period caused rail links between Sevilla, Huelva, Granada and Jaén to be shut.

The AVE fast track line between Malaga and Madrid was also shut for much of Christmas.

In total 24 major routes, including the N-IV in Cadiz were shut during Christmas Eve, due to some of the heaviest rain on record.

The weather was so bad, the emergency services in Sevilla had 500 calls alone.

The N-IV motorway between Jerez and Cádiz was closed for a kilometre due to flooding.

The access road to the Sierra Nevada was closed by strong winds and an accumulation of snow.

In Motril serious flooding led to dozens of houses being evacuated, while a car park full of cars was submerged.

There were serious power cuts in the Cádiz Bay area, although supplies are expected to be restored during the day today. Some 1,500 homes are still affected in El Puerto de Santa María, Chiclana and San Fernando.

Lightening cut the power to Torrox in Málaga for 12 hours.

Many advertising hoardings and other items were blown down, along with trees and the wall of a school in Córdoba, but despite the damage there are no reports of any injuries or fatalities in the region.

The forecast until the new year is for more rain, with temperatures dropping.

In Jimera de Libar, a benefit concert has been organised to help people affected by the flooding.

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