Strong winds early this morning caused extensive damage in the municipality, especially in La Cala, where a tornado wreaked havoc. Winds of over 130 km/h, according to Aemet, lifted small boats from the sand, displaced large beach huts and knocked down Christmas decorations on the boulevard. Several light arches fell to the ground, fortunately without causing any personal injury. However, damage was reported to street furniture and some vehicles parked on the road.

These are just some of the damages listed by the Mijas Town Hall, whose teams have been working on site since the early hours to restore normality as soon as possible. The list of damages also includes numerous uprooted trees or trees with large broken branches.

 

Early in the morning, the mayoress of the city, Ana Mata (PP), travelled to La Cala to assess the extent of the damage. She emphasised that "we do not have to mourn any personal injuries, as the tornado struck in the early hours of the morning and, therefore, there were no people walking along the boulevard. Right now, we are assessing the damage so that we can proceed with repairs or renovations and continue with the Christmas programme. Some beach bars on the Mijas coast have also been affected, as well as street furniture and trees, which have been uprooted. Therefore, we are currently evaluating the damage and throughout the day we will know approximately where we will have to take action to repair and replace everything. It seems that the most affected area has been La Cala de Mijas, but we have also had some material damage to a vehicle in the Las Lagunas area".

 

Intervention by the Fire Brigade and Local Police

During the night, the Mijas Fire Brigade carried out a total of seven call-outs related to the effects of the storm, mainly due to fallen trees, fences and other elements. Early in the morning, the crew continued working to remove trees in other parts of the municipality.

The local police, "in coordination with other municipal departments", also intervened continuously, assisting and securing the affected areas, regulating traffic when necessary, and providing information and coordination at the various incident sites.

 

Roads closed to traffic

The damage has forced the closure of several roads: the river crossing on Avenida Andalucía, due to a fallen lamppost; Calle Azalea, due to a fallen tree; and Calle Walter Bayer, due to another fallen tree.

 

Other roads have also suffered damage, although it has not been necessary to close them. In addition to La Cala Boulevard, affected locations include Avenida Virgen de Fátima, due to a fallen tree; Calle San Bruno, due to fallen construction material; Calle Cortijo de la Cruz, due to a fallen tree; Calle San Cristóbal, due to another incident involving Christmas lights; Camino de la Cueva (Majadilla del Muerto), due to a fallen tree; and Diseminado La Rosa, due to another fallen tree.

 

Material damage

So far, more than eight vehicles have been reported as damaged, a figure that could increase throughout the morning as inspections continue.

 

Cleaning and removal of debris

The Street Cleaning service has been working since early this morning to remove branches, trees and debris brought down by the storm, in coordination with other municipal departments. These efforts are focused mainly in La Cala de Mijas, although other parts of the municipality affected by the storm surge are also being attended to.

 

Storm Emilia

These are the last effects of Storm Emilia, which has been sweeping across much of the country since the weekend and was felt in Malaga early this morning. The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) maintained a yellow warning until 7:00 a.m. due to the possibility of heavy rain and storms along the entire coastline of the province.

According to data collected by Hidrosur (part of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture of the Andalusian Regional Government), the highest accumulations were recorded in parts of the Axarquía and the Western Costa del Sol. The Aemet warning indicated that the western Costa del Sol, Malaga, Guadalhorce and Axarquía would receive the heaviest rainfall from midnight onwards, with the possibility of concentrated rainfall of up to 15 litres per square metre in one hour. Between two and three o'clock in the morning was one of the peak moments of the phenomenon.

 

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