Torrential rains and flooding in Málaga city, Spain (video)

Heavy rains for the last two days, together with waterspouts on Saturday morning, have caused flooding in Málaga province, with the worse incidences being in the capital city of Málaga.

With the province still recovering from the flooding in September 2012, it has now happened again.From around 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, emergency calls were coming in for more than 300 incidents, caused by heavy rains and flooding in the province of Málaga. The Andalucian government delegation activated the Emergency Flood Plan at level 1.

Most of the emergency calls were from Málaga city, with flooded homes, garages, premises, cellars and road network problems. Fortunately, so far no injuries or deaths have been reported.

The rise in the level of streams and rivers has caused some flooding in Málaga city, particularly Paseo de Sancha, and in the Casabermeja orchard.

Many branches, trees and other objects are lying in the roads due to the wind and heavy rains

The problems apparently started with three waterspouts which occurred consecutively.

Several of the main arteries of Málaga city, including Avenida de Andalucía, have been flooded, with trash bins swept away by the waters, and some residents had to use their canoes to move in areas such as the Pedregalejo promenade. The Cerrado de Calderón traffic tunnel, part of the ring road of Málaga, was temporarily cut by landslides this morning in the direction of Cadiz but has already been reopened.

The Guadalmedina River, which runs through the center of the city is usually dry, but today was awash with water.Other flooding was reported in Casabermeja, Almogía and Canillas de Aceituno.

Inland in Alhaurín de la Torre, 35 families were evacuated as a precautionary measure, while four families were moved from their homes in Antequera and two people in Cártama were rescued from their isolated, riverside property.

Álora Mayor, José Sánchez said that some roads had disappeared completely, while a water course through the area was running very high.

Residents in the Bellavista district of the municipality lost their drinking water supply after wells which serve them were inundated on Friday. These wells have only recently been repaired from the previous floods in September

In San Roque (Cádiz), the force of the wind, which the City Hall has described as a "little tornado", has caused damage in the neighborhood of the San Roque station early this morning. Firefighters and local police have had to remove debris to avoid accidents.

Facebook and Twitter images of the flooding can be viewed here.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/337099#ixzz2CWevJw7i

Video: Helicopter flood rescue in Tuscany caught on helmet cam

Following heavy rains and strong winds parts of central Italy, including Tuscany and Umbria, have been submerged by flood waters. In the dramatic footage, a firefighter winches a person to safety from the rooftop of their flooded home. 

In Tuscany, 200 people had to be evacuated or rescued from their rooftops. In the town of Grosseto in central Italy, three people died when their car fell from a collapsed bridge during the heavy rain. According to the regional government, 23 centimeters (9 inches) of rain fell in just 4 hours in the region, causing the Ricortola and Parmignola rivers to flood. 

 

In the Umbria area, more than 100 people were forced to flee their homes and take refuge in emergency shelters, and one man has died.

In the towns of Albinia and Orbetello, thousands have been left without power and are cut off by the rising waters.

 

The above video shows a rescue, literally from the firefighters' viewpoint, of a resident in Albinia.  

 

A badly affected region was Massa Carrara. In this area some 50 people were evacuated and a car was carried away by an overflowing vehicle. The couple in the vehicle were fortunately rescued by firefighters. 

 

Roberto Pucci, mayor of Massa Carrara in Tuscany said, "It has been devastating." Pucci told the Corriere della Sera newspaper, "I saw at least six bridges destroyed in the hills, floods, landslides, vineyards and olive groves swept away. If there hasn't been a death it's a miracle." 

 

Flooding is also being experienced again in the popular tourist city of Venice, as the bad weather hits northern Italy. Digital Journal reported on recent flooding in the area, which has been worsened by the current weather. Shops, homes and historic palaces filled with water in and authorities said 70 percent of the city was overwhelmed by the floods.

 

The bad weather is reportedly heading towards the center of the country and it about to hit Rome. Civil defense forces are already on the alert.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/336760#ixzz2C8fk7F3y

Pilgrims evacuated from the shrine of Lourdes after flooding

Hundreds of Roman Catholic pilgrims, some sick and disabled, were evacuated from the shrine of Lourdes in France, as the Gave de Pau River overflowed from days of rain. 

Lourdes is a famous shrine in France, where Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, in a grotto in 1858. The Catholic church recognizes 67 miracles linked to the shrine. 

Last year more than six million visitors traveled to Lourdes, with many disabled or sick people praying for a cure. 

Excessive rain in the area caused the Gave de Pau river to flood its banks and officials had to close most of the Catholic sanctuary of Lourdes on Saturday. At least 500 pilgrims were in need of evacuation by the Red Cross and regional authorities provided food and shelter. 

On Saturday a local official said, “We are evacuating all the hotels in the lower town. We’ve already brought out 270 and another 236 remain.” Buses were laid on to ferry pilgrims from the hotels to a sports complex and conference center in the town. Two campsites also had to be evacuated and several roads have been closed in the center of Lourdes. 

In front of the grotto, the water was around one meter deep, and in Avenue du Paradis, where most of the pilgrim hotels are located, water reached around 80 centimeters. Officials are saying that this is the worst flooding in 25 years.  

The river itself was three meters above its normal level on Saturday morning, as forecasts stated that the rain, which has been falling non-stop since Thursday, would continue until Sunday. Only the basilica, which is built on higher ground, was still accessible. 

In the area, 8,000 homes were without electricity after strong winds brought down power lines on Thursday and Friday. 

Hotel owner Pierre Barrere said, “I’ve seen nothing like it in 40 years.” Visits to Lourdes have been temporarily suspended.

Read more and view video: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335213