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ISSUE NO. 1785
19 - 25 September 2019
Newspaper in Spain 2017 & 2018
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
DAMAGE: A bolt of lightening during the destructive storm.
of the largest recorded as the storm was so slow moving. Local councils this week are visiting the affected areas to start with the clear-up procedures in the different mu-
nicipalities. Road agencies report that all major road links are back open, however, many areas of farmland are still feeling the effects of the rainfall. Source: INSTAGRAM @carloscastrofotografo
TORRENTIAL rains on Saturday September 14 left the Axarquian province in tatters as a cold front swept across the country. The south eastern coastline of Spain has been battered by record rainfall as a DANA (isolated depression at high levels) passed across Andalucia. The storms so far have claimed the lives of six people in the Alicante and Almeria areas and caused millions of euros worth of damage to property and infrastructure. According to meteorological records, the weather phenomenon, labelled as a Gota Fria (Cold Drop) soaked the Axarquian capital of VelezMalaga with an average of 44 litres per hour, leaving roads cut off, buildings damaged and homes water logged. Meteorologist Angel Rivera explained that, although DANA’s are not unusual, the intensity of last weekend’s rainfall was unusually high. He attributed the strength of the storm to picking up on the remnants of Hurricane Dorian which hit the eastern coast of America. Rivera also explained that the total area affected is one
Source: INSTAGRAM @carloscastrofotografo
THUNDERSTRUCK
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Village banks plan BANKS are being called on to provide financial facilities for small communities. The PSOE of Malaga has requested a plan to ensure that smaller villages are not left without banking services. The spokesman of the PSOE in the Diputación de Malaga, José Bernal, and the provincial deputy, Gema Ruiz have asked for the plan to target neglected areas of the Axarquia region. Currently, eight of the municipalities do not have a physical office or an ATM, meaning that residents, including the elderly, must venture out of the community to perform basic banking needs such as withdrawing money or paying a bill. Bernal has lamented
the lack of facilities, claiming it is a major factor in the rural depopulation of Axarquia and the exclusion of certain villages in favour of others. In the coming months, the PSOE will draft a proposal to submit to the Diputación of Malaga for all the major financial bodies to sign an agreement to implement proper infrastructure on communities under 20,000 people. The PSOE insists this is the first of many initiatives to combat rural depopulation, and in all the upcoming plenar y sessions, the board will bring to the table a different idea to assist in the fight against losing some of the region’s villages.