Málaga has successfully weathered the disaster that hit Valencia two weeks earlier, which occurred on Wednesday and lasted until dawn on Thursday. Following the DANA, the current assessment, although provisional, allows for a relatively favourable evaluation of a phenomenon that has triggered extraordinary rainfall in the province. The Minister of the Presidency in charge of coordinating the emergency, Antonio Sanz, indicated that there have been no serious incidents affecting people's health or lives.
Red alert in Malaga with the DANA
At that time, there was still fear of a second storm in both the city and the province. The rains expected during the night would affect rivers that had been close to their capacity throughout the day, especially the Guadalhorce and Campanillas rivers, the latter of which runs through the capital and is a tributary of the former. This serious situation forced the evacuation of 3.000 residents. In the Axarquía region, specifically in Benamargosa, the river exceeded its historical maximum, almost doubling its maximum recorded level.
Therefore, both Sanz and President Juan Manuel Moreno urged continued vigilance while awaiting further developments. "Important challenges and complications remain," they stated.
How the DANA happened in Malaga
The morning began with heavy, but not torrential, rain. In fact, it had rained heavily the night before, but not torrentially. During the early hours, thunder was heard in the capital, and the rainfall was intense, although conditions improved thereafter. According to the precipitation summary from the Hidrosur Network, the nighttime rainfall was considerably less intense than that which occurred during the central hours of the day. The greatest accumulation of rainfall at night was recorded in Ojén, where nearly 60 liters per square meter fell over a 12-hour period. In contrast, during the day, the province recorded accumulations of over 100 liters per square meter from east to west, exceeding 80 liters in the capital, and with a maximum of 144 liters in Alfarnatejo (located in the upper Axarquía, in the east of the province) and 119 litres in Coín (in the Guadalhorce valley, central region). Given the risk of the Vélez River overflowing at its mouth, 950 residents of Almayate (a district of Vélez-Málaga, in the Axarquía) were evacuated and some 300 people were transferred to a sports pavilion in Torre del Mar.
End of red notice
The AEMET red warning, which was initially due to expire at 8.00:XNUMX a.m. on Thursday, ended an hour earlier than planned. The morning report indicates a total of 244 incidents throughout Andalusia, of which 170 have occurred in Malaga. The most frequent ones include flooding, rescues on roads and in homes, as well as traffic incidents due to accumulation of water or obstacles, with 22 people rescued in Vélez-Málaga. According to the morning report from the Junta de Andalucía, the situation at Málaga airport, where more than 3.000 passengers were stranded on Wednesday due to the cancellation of 15 flights and the diversion of five, things have returned to normal. However, the high-speed train service and medium-distance lines remained suspended during the early hours of Thursday. The Málaga Metro, which had its service paralysed on Wednesday afternoon, resumed its normal operation at 07.15 on Thursday.
Regarding road conditions, the A-7054 has reopened between kilometers 0 and 1, as well as the A-7001 at kilometer 1, both located in Málaga. In addition, the A-7205 at kilometer 8,300 in Arenas and the A-XNUMX at kilometer XNUMX in Málaga are now accessible. MA-3108 at kilometer 1 in Benamargosa. However, the A-7207 remains closed at kilometer 9,600 between Cómpeta and Torrox, as well as the A-7278 in Teba.
Effective preventive services
By mid-afternoon, Málaga was experiencing a sense of relief after the difficulties experienced during the central hours of the day, accompanied by anxious anticipation of the forecasts for the early morning. The DANA transformed some streets in the city centre into torrents that flooded local businesses that had only the day before tried to return to normal, but this situation paled in comparison to the widespread devastation experienced in Valencia, which remains vividly imprinted in memory. In addition, had nothing to do with the catastrophic floods that occurred exactly 35 years earlier (November 14, 1989) in Malaga, an event that resulted in the loss of six lives.
The proactive measures implemented by the Andalusian Government, which included preventive evacuations, a general alert to the population (with Es-Alert activated 12 hours in advance on 1.300.000 mobile devices), the suspension of classes in all educational centres and greater awareness among citizens about the recent episode in Valencia.
The entire community helped prevent the situation from becoming a catastrophe. There were moments of concern about the numerous horses trapped in the flooded stables of the Equestrian Club, but this issue was also addressed. The Local Police successfully rescued 41 horses and 39 dogs from the area.
Step by step of the DANA in Malaga
In the early morning, the streets seemed almost deserted, which It created an atmosphere of anxiety and expectation that finally eased after 11 a.m. when the expected downpour began..These rains continued for five hours, interspersed with brief pauses, enough to flood the streets and raise fears of serious consequences. However, by mid-afternoon, residents of Malaga began to notice the effects of the rain, while the Guadalmedina River was flowing strongly, a rare sight that captivated locals and visitors alike.
The sky cleared, prompting pedestrians to stop on bridges to capture the moment as the riverbed was no longer dry. The centre has regained its tourist influx, despite the stifling conditions. At the time, Carretería looked like a quagmire. This place serves as the epicenter of the devastation experienced that Wednesday in the Center and is also a focus of mass tourism in Malaga. Just moments before, a large wave of mud had spread across Postigo de Arance street, culminating just a few metres from its intersection with Carretería. In this area there are brunch shops, tourist accommodation and franchises that offer luggage and laundry services.
