Brits have been fighting over the final supplies of alcohol in Spanish supermarkets amid ‘extraordinary danger’ as Storm Alice floods batter the nation.
Intense downpours have ravaged south coast resorts popular with British tourists for several weeks, but Storm Alice has now brought horrific floods with 250mm of rain expected to pummel the region by Sunday.
Tourists in Costa Blanca have been left stranded as flights are diverted and cancelled, while the holiday hotspot was placed on high alert with officials warning of ‘extraordinary danger’ with flash floods likely.
Others have been trapped in cars as roads turned into fast-flowing rivers while schools shut on Friday.
But Brits have been grappling for booze amid the extreme conditions as fears mount over supplies.
One poster in the La Zenia Facebook group, which is popular with British expats and holidaymakers across the Alicante, said: ‘If you’re thinking about going to Lidl, don’t do it. All the British are there to buy all alcohol they can find.
‘Police need to come all the time because they’re fighting for the last alcohol.’
La Zenia, near Alicante, has many housing estates where expat Brits have moved to.
Intense downpours have ravaged south coast resorts popular with British tourists for several weeks
Others have been trapped in cars as roads turned into fast-flowing rivers while schools shut on Friday
Spain’s Guardia Civil rescued people trapped in cars on flooded streets late into the night
Footage on social media shows Brits wading barefoot through flooded roads and emergency workers rescuing people stuck in cars late into Friday evening.
Evacuations have been underway and at least 12 flights heading for Alicante-Elche airport have been diverted.
The city’s fire service said they carried out 31 emergency operations on Friday.
Spain’s Guardia Civil rescued people trapped in cars on flooded streets early on Saturday morning after Storm Alice hit the Murcia region, in the southeast of the country.
Murcia and Valencia have orange and yellow weather alerts in place, while the head of Murcia’s regional government has appealed for aid from the Military Emergency Unit.
Flights have been delayed in airports in both regions.
On Friday the Foreign Office issued a warning to Brits planning to travel to Spain, warning of ‘severe’ weather conditions on its eastern coast.
‘Severe weather warnings are in place today in Murcia and Valencia, including the province of Alicante. Disruptions to travel are likely. If you are in the affected areas, follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local weather updates. If you are planning to travel, check for messaging from your travel provider or airline’, it said in a statement.
AEMET, Spain’s weather agency, wrote on X: ‘Extraordinary danger. Flooding and flash floods may occur. Follow the advice of civil protection.’
Rainfall totals could exceed 140 millimetres in 12 hours, especially in Valencia, the weather office said.
Murcia and Valencia have orange and yellow weather alerts in place, while the head of Murcia’s regional government has appealed for aid from the Military Emergency Unit
On Friday the Foreign Office issued a warning to Brits planning to travel to Spain, warning of ‘severe’ weather conditions on its eastern coast
AEMET said the red alert would be in effect from 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Friday in Mediterranean coastal regions of the province of Alicante, as well as in the neighbouring region of Murcia
Other Mediterranean coastal regions are also expected to be affected, including the neighbouring province of Murcia and the Balearic islands, with ‘very heavy and persistent rainfall’ was expected until Monday, AEMET added.
Showers may result in local flash flooding in low-lying areas, streams and gullies, so the potential danger level of this situation is high’, the agency said.
The Balearic government said on Thursday it had reinforced emergency services in party island Ibiza after it was placed on an orange alert for rain and storms.
Heavy rainfall began lashing down on eastern Spain on Wednesday evening and is expected to persist throughout the week.
Tourists heading to Spain’s Mediterranean shores have been urged to monitor local weather updates and follow official guidance.
Footage shared on social media displays how heavy rainfall has already been affecting the coastal regions in eastern Spain, with videos showing cars attempting to drive down flooded roads and volunteers clearing water and mud from streets.
Another video shows how a car was trapped in water after heavy rainfall.
During the early hours of Friday morning, emergency services said they carried out several water pumping operations in the Valencian municipality of Alcasser and reported some fallen trees.
Authorities are taking heightened measures as the storm comes nearly a year after widespread flooding in Valencia killed more than 200 people, Spain’s worst natural disaster in decades.
The catastrophe sparked public fury over warning systems and the emergency response.
Residents continue to protest, accusing officials of having failed to provide timely alerts.
Authorities are taking heightened measures as the storm comes nearly a year after widespread flooding in Valencia killed more than 200 people
Heavy rains lashed the region again last month, forcing the closure of schools and universities, disrupting rail and road travel and causing localised flooding.
Because a hotter atmosphere holds more water that evaporates from a rapidly warming Mediterranean Sea, climate change increases the risk and intensity of flooding from extreme rainfall in the region.
Almost 240 people died in the country after torrential rains last October triggered floods that swept through eastern and southeastern Spain.
The most severely hit area was Valencia’s southern suburbs where more than 220 people died.
