Laurence Dollimore
LOCALS in Marbella have compared the dramatic weather currently blasting the region to the ‘end of the world’, as 70km/hr winds and heavy rain topple trees and threaten more flooding.
The comments came under a series of videos shared to Instagram page Marbellasequeja, which show the Costa del Sol city cloaked in dark grey skies.
Meanwhile, wind can be heard howling as trees are seen swaying and rain continues to lash down.
In one clip, customers are seen recording the mayhem from inside a supermarket after taking shelter inside.
One palm tree was pictured strewn across a road in the Bajadilla area after being blown over by the severe weather.
It comes after more than 200 people were evacuated in Andalucia overnight after a river burst its banks amid a seemingly never-ending deluge.
Homes have been vacated across multiple towns in Cadiz, including La Graduela, El Portal, La Corta, La Ina and Las Pachecas.
According to the Andalucia Emergency Agency (EMA), the measure was taken due to the flooding of the Guadalete River in Jerez de la Frontera.
It follows two weeks of virtually non-stop rain in Andalucia and a series of storms that have caused widespread flooding.
Local minister Antonio Sanz urged people to take ‘maximum caution’ in the face of ‘Konrad’, the latest storm to arrive to the region, and to ‘follow the advice’ of the EMA.
Shelters and the Vegaveguita sports hall have been set up as temporary accommodation for evacuated residents.
In addition, the Ministry of Education has suspended in-person classes at the La Ina and El Portal Early Childhood and Primary Schools.
The EMA warned people to ‘avoid traveling if possible’, advising drivers to ‘decrease speed’ and ‘increase distance’ between other vehicles.
It comes as a series of weather alerts have today been issued across the southern region of Andalucia in the wake of Storm Konrad’s arrival to Spain.
The yellow-level warnings by state weather agency Aemet cover the entire provinces of Sevilla, Cadiz, Huelva and most of Cordoba and Malaga.
In Malaga, the Costa del Sol, Guadalhorce, Velez-Malaga and Ronda are all under a yellow alert for heavy rainfall (up to 60mm) until 11.59pm tonight.
They are also on alert for strong winds which could reach up to 70km/hr, as are the entire coasts of Almeria, Granada and Murcia.
Cadiz province, meanwhile, is facing 80km/hr winds and up to 15mm of rainfall in an hour.
In Sevilla province, Aemet is predicting up to 40mm of rain over a 12-hour period.
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