TERRIFIED British residents have described the moment they were forced to flee their homes after hearing ‘weird, deep booming noises’ coming from the mountains above and below them.
Up to a dozen expats are among the 200 people evacuated from the Estacion de Benaojan neighbourhood in Malaga province, amid fears that the torrential rains from Storm Leonardo could cause the nearby Montejaque dam to burst.
The panic began in the early hours of Friday morning when the ground itself seemed to groan under the pressure of the water.
“It’s so strange, we heard these weird deep, booming noises in the middle of the night,” said British resident Paul Rolfe.
“And then the next morning we found water seeping out of various holes in the wall.”
The disturbing sounds are believed to be the Bramido – a roar caused by air and water being violently forced through the underground cave system that sits beneath the overflowing Montejaque Dam.
Rolfe described a desperate battle to save his home as the water levels rose, comparing the scene to the nearby town of Grazalema, where fears are growing that the sodden earth could cause the town to ‘literally slip away’.
“It has been absolutely crazy,” the artist told the Olive Press, adding that Benaojan received over 300mm of rain in one day this week – that is more than Almeria receives in an entire year.
“We spent hours bringing everything upstairs to the first floor to stop it getting wet. We initially tried to keep mopping the water out of the ground floor, but in the end we gave up because water kept appearing in more and more holes.”
In a dramatic move to save the property, a neighbour eventually had to take a sledgehammer to the front of the house.
“Finally a neighbour came and smashed a hole in our front doorstep so all the water could simply drain out,” Rolfe added.
The evacuation has turned the popular riverside beauty spot into a ghost town.
Andy Chappell, from the renowned British-run hotel Molino del Santo, meanwhile confirmed that the entire area had been cleared out.
“Everyone has had to leave the village,” Chappell said. “The place is empty – all of us evacuated.”
Chappell and his team have retreated to safety in El Palmar, leaving the hotel behind to weather the storm.
“I don’t know about flooding at the hotel – it was ok when we were evacuated, just leaks but not flooded,” he said.
However, the sheer volume of water has already scarred the landscape surrounding the business.
“Our olive grove has slid down the hillside,” he revealed. “It was a touch alarming to see 25 big olive trees displaced.”
Geologists remain on site monitoring the instability of the terrain, as the water pressure from the dam continues to test the limits of the limestone caves below.
Others meanwhile, joined a high-level meeting of national specialists at the brigade headquarters in nearby Ronda.
The meeting today at 1 PM, brought together around two dozen specialists, as well as emergency response leaders, police and politicians.
Among the various things discussed was if it was going to be safe for people to return to their homes. Particularly as there’s a continued danger of streets collapsing.
It appears that the residents of Grazalema, at least, will have to stay away for at least another few days, particularly as it’s likely to rain until at least Thursday.
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