PROVINCIA DE MáLAGA – Meteorologists had already warned about meteotsunamis along the southern Spanish coast. But The timing could not have been worse. Just before the tourist season starts next week, numerous beaches in Andalucia were partly swept away, resulting in major material damage.
Beaches in Andalucia hit by storm
Except for Huelva, beaches along the entire coast of Andalucia have been hit by the storm of wind, rain, and high waves that ravaged the peninsula on Sunday and Monday. Malaga is one of the most affected provinces, with completely flooded beaches and extensive material damage. The coastal authority has made a preliminary damage assessment with 14 affected coastal municipalities in the province.
Also read: Weather code orange in Málaga for meteotsunamis
The eastern part of the province, the Axarquía, is the most affected by the bad weather. In the popular coastal town of Nerja, the beach of La Torrecilla has partly been swept away. Chucho and Playazo beaches also lost significant amounts of sand. In addition, part of the ‘Senda Litoral’, the newly constructed coastal path, has been partially damaged. This was announced by a government sub-delegation in a statement to the press.
Torrox and Algarrobo
In Torrox, much of Ferrara beach disappeared into the sea and the promenade in the same area was damaged. In the municipality of Algarrobo, the high waves also took a big bite out of the beach. Furthermore, branches and other debris washed up on the beaches via the inland drainages.
Torre del Mar and Chilches
Vélez-Málaga has also registered a lot of sand loss on the beaches of Torre del Mar, El Mortero and Chilches. The breakwaters in Chilches were damaged as well as part of the coastal path. The road along the sea has been demolished in several parts and the sanitary infrastructure in the Torre del Mar district was damaged. As a result, residents in this zone were without water for a few hours. The promenade here was also flooded.
Rincon de la Victoria
Similarly, in Rincón de la Victoria, Cala del Moral, and Los Rubios there was a loss of sand and height and damage to beach furniture. Erosion caused the appearance of remains of supply lines in the Los Rubios-Arroyo Santillán area and reached the beach bars of the municipal area. The Paseo de la Cala is partially flooded.
Malaga
In the city of Malaga, the loss of sand up to the beach bars was recorded on Poniente de Guadalmar and Malagueta beaches. At the same time, stony material dragged by the sea appeared in the area of Las Acacias, in El Palo. The boulevards of Guadalmar, Poniente, El Palo and Pedregalejo were also flooded.
Torremolinos
In Torremolinos, the sand loss has been recorded at various points in Carihuela and Bajondillo, a lot of debris, branches, and waste ended up on the streets, while in Benalmádena the same phenomenon occurred on the beaches of Malapesquera, Santa Ana and Arroyo de la Miel.
Fuengirola
In Fuengirola, a large part of the beach was also lost at some points in the city. There the width of the beach decreased significantly. The boulevard was closed for a while on Tuesday because municipal workers had to clear the road of piles of beach sand and rubbish.
Mijas
In Mijas, waves have washed away much of the beach in La Cala de Mijas, where the loss reached the front row of houses and the outer perimeter fences of the Los Cordobeses area of Bombo Beach.
Marbella
In Marbella, there was the erosion of the dunes between the port of Cabo Pino and the fishing port of La Bajadilla. Several access paths became disrupted in the area of Real de Zaragoza and Dunas de Artola.
Almeria
The first inspections carried out by the General Directorate of Coasts in Almería also revealed significant damage in this province. Much erosion and even more loss of sand along almost the entire coastline. The damage from the storm combined with high waves is also clearly visible at the mouths of rivers. A lot of material has accumulated there, which has been washed into the sea by the drainages.
Roquetas de Mar and Mojácar
Also in the touristic coastal towns of Roquetas de Mar, Carboneras, Vera, and Mojácar, a lot of beaches have been washed away and damage has occurred to urban furniture and beach bars.
Cabo de Gata
The sub-delegation of the government of Almería confirmed the erosion of beaches in important coastal areas such as San José, Agua Amarga, and Las Negras, in Níjar in the protected area of Cabo de Gata; or San Juan de Los Terreros, from Pulpi. “The balance is very negative, even before any final assessments have been made,” said Pulpi Councilor for Beaches, Pedro Jesús Martínez.
“The floods have caused landslides, loosened slopes, and destroyed up to 400 metres of the walkway to access the beaches
