(Agencies/Photo: Andalucía Información) Although the forecast for today promises a break, the weather over the last 48 hours (Christmas Eve and Day) has brought little but rain and problems all over the Campo de Gibraltar. The Guadiaro Valley (photo of the main road from Jimena towards the coast) had the most problems, as we've been reporting all along. Some 300 litres per square metre were measured at the weather station at Cepsa's Gibraltar-San Roque refinery. The result of rainstorms that haven't been seen in the area for at least 11 years is a whole series of roads being closed, homes, garages and fields being flooded throughout the Algeciras Bay area and inland. Some examples:>Algeciras. 25 people had to be evacuated from the Colonia San Miguel section, at around 3pm yesterday, where water rose to a metre and a half at several single family homes. The fire brigade was still pumping water, mainly from garages, well into the evening. The fire brigade registered over 25 incidents in Algeciras alone.
San Roque. The main incident took place at the Cepsa refinery, where the water overflowed the clean (purified) water tanks, taking with it part of a retaining wall. The Department of the Environment will be studying the situation there to see if there are any further consequences, according to Cepsa sources.
La Línea. Several people had to be rescued from their trapped vehicles during the afternoon. The first such incident took place just after 4pm on the road to Estepona, the second at 5.20 on the seafront at Santa Barbara, and the third on the Poniente waterfront after that. Once again, the Princesa Sofía Park, and the Sports Centre were flooded, as were Calle Gibraltar and Avenida España. Access to the town centre was almost impossible, too, as Carboneros, Sol and Duque de Tetuán were cut off as well. The Plaza de la Iglesia and parts Paseo Fariñas and Calle Real were also closed to traffic.
Critical situationswere also registered at Santa Margarita, where the stream overflowed. Bomberos, Local Police and Protección Civil units were allocated to the area but luckily did not register any major incidents.
Los Barrios. Many streets in the Santa Rosa area looked more like rivers throughout the afternoon, but the emergency services were watching the Puente Romano and the Benharás areas more closely. These are the crucial spots in terms of water levels because at the first of them, the sea level and tides are most influential; whereas two streams meet at Benharás. Fortunately, nobody had to be evacuated, though the bomberos did register several incidents in that zone. The José Chamizo access road at the Clara Campoamor end because it flooded over the pavement, and the road was closed to traffic. Another critical point was at Palmones, where the high tide and the shopping centres were threatened. The old road to Algeciras was closed for a while, too.
Tarifa. The worst incidents here were registered between 2 to 4am, where the wind and rain had knocked down several cornices in the town centre. The bomberos had to intervene in some 15 incidents, including flooded homes and garages in town as well as at the Las Cañas urbanization.
The Guadiaro Valley, with the Hozgarganta and Guadiaro rivers in torrential flow (See our JimenaPulse item We asked for it!), was in sharp contrast to only a week ago, where both rivers were summer-dry. Much of the activity in Jimena was centred on Estación, where the main road through the village became flooded at various times, and the Sambana area, where the Guadiaro River cut off several roads and the bridge that connects it with Jimena.
Road travel was not easy on the secondary roads inland, either. The A-2102, from Tesorillo to Torreguadiaro, was not only flooded and closed a lot of the time, but parts of the road came away as well. Incidents were also reported on the Tesorillo to San Enrique as well as on the CA-34, San Roque to La Línea, close to Puente Mayorga. Other roads in Palmones and Atlanterra, Tarifa, were also closed several times during the days. Units from Conservación de Carreteras worked day and night to return things to normal.
Boat owners in the area, including those at La Línea, Algeciras and Sotogrande, spent a lot of time checking on their boats, as the tide and the waves caused some damage to them, especially in the morning, when some of them had lost their moorings.
The Met Office is maintaining an Orange Alert for rain and wind throughout the day. We suggest you check our Weather Widget for regular updates. Authorities also recommend you do not take the car out unless strictly necessary.
La Agencia Estatal de Meteorología (Aemet) mantiene para hoy la alerta naranja en toda la comarca por viento y lluvia.
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