Perilous Times
Severe Storms cause fierce flooding in Spain's Canary Islands
by Staff Writers
Tenerife, Spain (AFP) Feb 2, 2010
Torrential rains caused flooding, disrupted travel and left thousands
without electricity in Spain's Canary Islands, a popular tourist
destination, local authorities said Tuesday.
Classes were cancelled on all seven islands of the Atlantic Ocean
archipelago located off the West African coast which is home to some
two million people.
"We remain in a state of emergency due to adverse weather conditions.
There have been no serious incidents, except for those affecting the
electrical supply," said the official in charge of security for the
regional government, Jose Miguel Ruano.
Dozens of people were evacuated during the night as a precautionary
measure, he added.
Flooding and debris left over from landslides blocked many roads on the
archipelago and the bad weather while the bad weather forced several
flights to be cancelled or delayed on the islands of La Palma, El
Hierro and Lanzarote.
The archipelago, winter sun destination that millions of European
travellers go to to escape poor weather, has been hit by heavy rains
and strong winds since the weekend.
Tenerife, the most most populated island of the Canary Islands, has
been especially hard-hit having received 270 litres (70 gallons) on
rainfaill per square metre (10.76 square feet) in a 24-hour period.