Officials in Tenerife – which hosts 2.8million Brit visitors a year – made the dramatic announcement after meteorologists warned the island is set to be battered by a freak storm
British tourists travelling to the Canary Islands face potential holiday disaster as one of the most popular hotspots has declared an ‘island wide emergency’.
Officials on the island of Tenerife, which receives 2.8 million British visitors a year, made the dramatic announcement after meteorologists warned that the island is set to be hit by gales and torrential rain over the next few days.
Storm Therese, which is expected to arrive today (Wednesday), looks set to bring 100km/h winds and heavy downpours that could cause flooding and infrastructure disruption.
Meteorologists are also warning that there is a possibility of Saharan dust being brought over via storm winds, which could lead to decreased visibility.
Tenerife’s council activated the Island Emergency Plan (PEIN), triggering a series of closures, restrictions and the suspension of outdoor activities on the island.
Tenerife president Rosa Davila told both locals and visitors that the activation of the Emergency Plan was not made lightly, and that it had been made ‘in advance’ to ‘protect public safety.’
Residents and visitors are being urged to avoid unnecessary travel, take care while driving, and follow official updates throughout the day.
Tourists have also been warned to stay away from closed or restricted areas, and to secure loose outdoor items that could be blown away.
Tenerife’s Minister of Natural Environment, Blanca Pérez, warned that landslides were to be expected on the island, as well as potential floods and catastrophic coastal damage.
Other Canary Islands, including Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, are also set to be hit by heavy rain and strong winds, as Storm Therese continues to batter the region.
The powerful weather front, which has battered both Europe and North Africa over the past few days, has also caused disruption on the Spanish mainland.
The Spanish city of Malaga has been put on yellow alert, with warnings of 50km/h winds, Saharan dust and possible flooding.
Forecasters are stressing that several regions may be hit by the storm, including the Straight of Gibraltar.
According to the weather portal Meteored, the storm is set to hit “Extremadura and the western provinces of Andalucía, including the Strait of Gibraltar”, and bring “Saharan dust to these areas of the south and west of mainland Spain”.
Meteorologists in Southern France are also on high alert, with officials warning that Storm Therese may continue to travel across the rest of Western Europe.