21.02.2010 - During the two days (Feb­ruary 1st and 2nd) of the heavy rain, over double the amount of rainfall than had been predicted fell, causing enormous logistic problems for many parts of the popula­tion in all the islands, espe­cially in the north of Tenerife. The regional news station, TV Canarias, offered hours’ long coverage of the rain as it happened, broadcasting pictures from all over the Islands, and carrying live press conferences held by local, insular and regional authorities, advising people to stay indoors unless abso­lutely vital. 

Many parts of the island of Tenerife lost power for hours and days afterwards, as normality resumed in other areas, some smaller populations continued to be cut off due to damage to roads as a result of the high volume of water in full flow for many hours.  Lo­cal residents said they had rarely if ever seen a deluge like it, many reminded of the flash flooding in March 2002, which saw lives lost. This time there was one related fatality in Gran Canaria. 

Beaches in Fañabé, Las Vistas, Abama and San Juan in the South West of Tenerife were also battered by the strong weather, a sailing school in Los Cristianos suffered heavy damage, the wooden boardwalk in Playa San Juan was ripped apart, and many shops, garages and homes were flooded.

Rivers literally sprang up within an hour of the rainfall, and swept all aside in their route down hills and moun­tains, gathering stones and mud on the way, depositing them as the flow deviated and increased.  Post-flooding, another problem identified by many climatologists is the over-building that has been ongoing near or beside many of the island’s barrancos and ravines often without licenc­ing, and with poor founda­tions. With heavy rains, that lack of foundations was well as poor structural planning sees houses flooded or even heavily damaged.

Not for the first time in recent months the presi­dent of the Tenerife Cabildo Ricardo Melchior, called for the immediate installation of a second radar for the island to assist in more precise meteorological prediction.  The Islands had been placed on alert and told to expect up to 100 litres of rain per square metre. 

Over 218 litres fell in Güí­mar and 148 in Santa Cruz.  However during a visit to see, first hand, the damage, Spain’s environment minister Elena Espinosa said that the Met office had functioned properly and no-one could avoid rainfall. She did assure that no-one who had been af­fected by the flooding “would be forgotten”.



This article appears in the print edition 610 of Island Connections

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