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| Situation Update No. 1 Ref.no.: FF-20100202-24766-SPI
Situation Update No. 1
On 2010-02-02 at 11:15:34 [UTC]
Event: Flash Flood
Location: Canary-Islands (Esp.) Statewide Situation: British tourists face a holiday washout after torrential rains caused flooding in Tenerife. The government of the Canary Islands, which are a popular holiday and retirement destination for Britons, has issued an emergency warning following the downpours, which have also affected Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. According to the British Embassy, nearly four million Britons visit the islands each year and 60,000 live there. Schools across the islands have been closed today by the regional education ministry as the government’s emergency Level II plans are put into operation. Roads have also been closed and power cuts are occurring. Emergency services in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, were called out to over 70 separate incidents yesterday as a result of the extreme weather. Power cuts left over 25,000 people, mainly in Tenerife, without electricity overnight. While the weather in the islands is warm for most of the year, the rainy season usually lasts from December to March. The rains came early last year, causing flooding and mudslides in Tenerife and Gran Canaria in November. Cars were swept away and people were forced out of their homes during the downpours. Between February and March, Tenerife is affected by episodes of thick dust coming off the Sahara desert and bushfires between July and August. The Canary Islands have a population of over two million people, of which around half live in Tenerife. |  | | | |
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