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Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Sept 8
FEATURED ARTICLES: "Saharan dust storms and severe flooding cause havoc in Spain" and "The heartwarming story of the UK retiree living in a Spanish nursing home"
What happened in Spain this week?
Back 2 Skool is a time of trepidation every September, with school children and teachers the world over dreading the start of the new academic year and praying for an act of God to intercede on their behalf. Likely most of them didn’t have in mind a frightful storm that forced most of Spain to batten down the hatches early this week.
The lashing rain and strong winds came from the ‘Gota Fría’ or ‘cold drop’ storm, as it is known, or DANA by its technical name (‘Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos’, which translates to ‘Isolated Depression at High Altitudes’). What that basically means is a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure that creates conditions that are frequently very rainy, to put it mildly.
To put it another way, this was the worst storm of the year in Spain, and it left at least 2 people dead in Toledo, while others have gone missing, such as an 83-year-old man in Madrid.
It was the centre of the country that felt it the worst – Madrid, Teruel, Castilla-La Mancha – but coastal areas like Valencia and Catalonia were also hit badly. In the capital Madrid, bridges were swept away by raging rivers that swelled in flash floods, leaving entire populations cut off from civilisation.
In Castellón, people were trapped in their cars by the floods and trains had to be cancelled across many parts of the country, while last Sunday’s match between Atlético Madrid and Sevilla had to be suspended due to the rain.
There were stories of miracle rescues which came out of the floods, though, like the 90-year-old woman who was saved by firefighters after her house filled up with water a metre and a half high, and the little boy who was separated from his family but later found clinging to the top of a waterlogged tree as the eddies swirled menacingly below him.
In the south of Spain, several provinces were also on the maximum level red weather alert, although this proved to be not as extreme as first predicted. And since a good politician never lets a disaster go to waste, the conservatives in power in Andalucía took the opportunity to blast the socialist government, saying they had better be darned sure before issuing extreme weather alerts and scaring people needlessly.
The sentiment was issued by the conservative mayor of Madrid, where for the first time citizens were sent out those text messages warning them to stay indoors and not try to drive through flooded areas, etc. Many people were said to be incredibly displeased at having these SMS messages sent directly to their phones, despite the fact that Spain’s introduction of this disaster warning system was highly publicised and kind of tested last year.
But the fact was it was a very dramatic and maybe even traumatic experience for lots of people in Madrid, especially those who were trapped underground in a metro car as water poured down and flooded the train from above. Thankfully, the poor passengers were unharmed and could be evacuated before they were buried in a watery grave.
🇪🇦 | LO ÚLTIMO: Lluvia inundando vagones de metro de Madrid, España. #DANA pic.twitter.com/UOLifTT5MF
— Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundial2) September 3, 2023
The rainstorms and deadly flooding have now moved eastwards across the Mediterranean to Greece and Turkey, while the UK, Germany and northern parts of Europe are getting a kind of Indian summer heatwave with temperatures in excess of 30ºC.
Murcia got off pretty lightly from the rainstorms, but the region did get another weather phenomenon that was in its own way spectacular to witness and potentially very dangerous.
This was the return of the ‘calima’ or Saharan dust cloud, which spread across the Murcia skies earlier this week and left everything from cars to clothes a dirty, orangey hue. Those who live in this part of southeastern Spain are used to the occasional calima episode, which come and go to vary degrees of intensity several times a year.
This time around, the suspended dust particles in the air created particularly bad air quality which was officially classed as “extremely unfavourable” and which can be harmful for people with existing respiratory problems. These particles are so small that prolonged exposure can lead to reach deep into the lungs and sometimes into the bloodstream. Health authorities in Murcia advised people not to do exercise outdoors at the beginning of this week for precisely this reason.
Impresionante entrada de polvo sahariano. Águilas en estos momentos 16:30 3/9/23 pic.twitter.com/nzsmhlhctk
— Mario Navarro (@Mario17N) September 3, 2023
The weather forecast for the coming weeks is not so dire, and in general Spain can expect a continuation of the sunny and slightly cloudy conditions of this weekend and we wind down from a scorching hot summer to the autumn. But meteorologists warn that more periodic episodes of torrential rainfall could be on the way this fall season, and that perhaps this latest storm was not the worst we could see for this year. For the coming week, there is more rain forecast on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, though it will not be anywhere near as strong as it was last weekend.
It’s a good excuse not to put off waterproofing your leaky roof, as the Algorfa Hotel in Alicante did recently. In fact, the Costa Blanca hotel was even recently featured in an episode of Channel 4’s ‘A New Life in the Sun’ while it was having its roof done by local waterproofing experts Leak Proof.
The trusted flat-roof waterproofing company, which has been run on the Costa Cálida and the Costa Blanca by British citizen Joe Clarke for more than 20 years, managed to get the hotel finished quicker than expected.
“It took under a month to complete even though there were around 1,000 square metres to cover,” said Joe.
The hotel roof needed to be completely weatherproofed because most of the top-floor rooms just below the roof level were damaged by leakage. Now the roof is fully waterproofed, the construction workers can get all the rooms refurbished so the hotel can run at full capacity.
You may have seen that other centres that are struggling to open right now are at least 147 UK state schools that have been built using the potentially dangerous material reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, known by initials RAAC.
Spain doesn’t have that problem as children go back to school, thankfully, but the UGT union has maligned the fact that public schools in the Region of Murcia are not able to adequately provide their star initiative this academic year 2023-24, which is the introduction of 2-year-olds into classrooms.
(It should be pointed out here that ‘colegios públicos’ in Spain means just that – that they are public and state-run, rather than in English where ‘public school’ actually means ‘private school’. Much more sensible, Spain.)
Anyway, it turns out the 500 2-year-olds in Murcia have been left on the waiting list without being able to get into the school of their choice because the schools are not ready. For example, schools that didn’t accept 2-year-olds until now have to adapt their bathrooms for younger children, and that has not been carried out in all instances. In addition, many of those classrooms which have been opened for this age group do not have all the necessary material, such as toys, furniture and other educational material.
As a result, it seems that quite a few parents are choosing to turn to private schooling alternatives for their nursery, pre-nursery and infant school-aged children.
Whether private or public, the Regional Murcia government is trying its hardest to promote a ‘Sustainable Back to School’ by issuing a handbook of advice for parents and students that aims to reduce the ecological footprint of the school community.
This can be via reusing stationery, books and even clothes and uniforms, they say, as well as planning the most sustainable route to get to school and buying ecological, recycled or easily recyclable products in local neighbourhood shops.
Talking of protecting the environment, a ban has been put in place, effective immediately, that prohibits boats from dropping anchor in four areas of the Mar Menor as a way of protecting an endangered species of seaweed there.
Boats will no longer be allowed to moor in the waters around Isla de la Perdiguera, Isla Mayor, Punta del Galán-Pedruchillo and Matas Gordas following the ban, which aims to preserve the common nacra (Pinna nobilis), which has been declared to be “in a critical situation”.
The local Maritime Captaincy has issued a stern warning reminding people that failure to comply with this new rule, except in cases where they are in serious danger or a force majeure situation, may constitute an administrative infraction that could culminate in a sanction from the Civil Navy. Be warned!
On to Spain travel news, and there will be disruption on the so-called ‘Mediterranean Corridor’, possibly for as long as the next two years. Specifically, this is the news that Spanish railway infrastructure management company Adif will be carrying out work to adapt the stretch of railway track between La Encina and the Valencian town of Xàtiva to prepare it for European-standard high-speed trains, as a way of eventually creating a fast, modern service going from the bottom of Spain all the way up to France.
Until such time as the railway tracks are made ready, however, trains between Murcia, Valencia and Barcelona will be diverted along a single-track line for 45 kilometres on the border between the provinces of Alicante and Valencia, where all rail traffic between Alicante, Valencia and Catalonia will converge.
Long delays are expected and the journey from Murcia to Barcelona, for instance, will now take almost half an hour longer. In the long-run, though, the idea is that in a couple of years’ time when the work is finished, it will be possible to reach Barcelona from Murcia in about three and a half hours and the journey time from Murcia to Valencia will be reduced to one and a half hours.
Meanwhile, at the airports and in the skies this week, there was excitement and exasperation in equal parts at the latest initiative thought up by the Region of Murcia’s International Airport at Corvera.
This Tuesday just gone, the airport hosted a whole day of live music, dance, acrobatics and artistic shows performed for passengers waiting in the terminal. From 9am until 8.30am there were performances by dance duo Color Fellas, who showcased their urban style maxing hip hop, break dancing and electro funk; the actor Tony Blaya and the dance group Víctor Campos, who will also offer the shows ‘Embrujo flamenco’ and ‘Wilkommen’; the acrobat Lollypop and the singer Laly Blue. There were even free gift giveaways and a raffle going on!
The live music day at Murcia Region International Airport was a chance for passengers to enjoy something a bit different and a spot of unexpected fun during their travels, which can sometimes be a stressful experience. For others, though, it was a chance to knock the airport management team and airlines once again for not offering more international routes to and from the airport.
Others joked online that it was a way of distracting passengers from the fact that their flights were delayed for hours, or that they should be spending that money on better transport links connecting the airport with various parts of the Region.
In reality, this isn’t just Corvera airport’s idea but it is part of a proposal to bring live music to more than 20 airports in the Aena national network in Spain as a way to “improve the passenger experience during their transit through the airport facilities by encouraging and promoting music”. So don’t shoot the underling – they’re just carrying out the wishes of their overlords. Enjoy the music while it lasts!
One plane didn’t even get the chance to land in Spain recently due to a shocking, disgusting and embarrassing incident on board the aircraft.
The Delta Airlines Airbus A350 departed from Atlanta airport in the USA last Friday, destined to land at Barcelona’s El Prat airport, but it never arrived. Shortly after take-off, the pilot turned right around and requested an emergency landing at Atlanta due to what is best described as a severe bout of diarrhoea which was suffered by a passenger.
As explained by sources from the airline, the pilot described the situation as a “biohazard” for other passengers, and left it up to the imagination as to just how explosive diarrhoea can present a risk to the health and safety of 100 people locked in a tin can in the sky.
What is known is that, upon landing back in Atlanta and once all the passengers were evacuated, it took a team of airline workers several hours to fully disinfect the aircraft. They even went so far as to rip up a huge stretch of carpet and put a new one down before letting passengers back on board following a lengthy delay.
Unsurprisingly, this incident also unleashed a slew of memes and jokes online, with people joking that it was “Next level sh*t” and posting clips from the movie ‘Airplane’.
A Delta Airlines Airbus A350 turned around back to Atlanta Friday night because of diarrhea throughout the airplane from a passenger and it’s a biohazard. 👀🥴
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) September 3, 2023
The FAA flight strip for DL194 was posted to Reddit (📷xStang05x) Also a passenger posted here asking why her son’s… pic.twitter.com/VWbkB47wF1
Best not to travel and just stay in Spain permanently, maybe? But have you ever wondered what happens when pensioners who move out to Spain need extra nursing home care or elderly care as they get older? Living in Spain is a retirement dream for many, but a lot of people who make the jump don’t necessarily think ahead to a time when they might require care services.
Thankfully, it is possible to find these kinds of services which are specifically aimed at expats, offering retirement care in their own language if they do not speak Spanish fluently, as British pensioner David Cowling affirms.
A resident of the International Unit at the Santo Ángel retirement home in Murcia, 71-year-old David came to live at the centre after his social worker at the Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital contacted his children and told them about the centre’s specialist unit set up to serve foreign residents.
Originally from Cheshire, David moved to Balsicas, Murcia when he was 64 but needed more permanent care by the time he was 71. Since moving to the International Unit, he says, he’s never looked back.
“My experience is very positive in all aspects,” he said. “Every day we have breakfasts adapted to our tastes, needs and customs. We do daily activities but for me the most important one is physiotherapy, where I go every day. We also have television [in English] and international press.”
While retaining all the usual physical, medical and psychological care you expect from a quality care home, the International Unit at Santo Ángel has English-speaking staff and caters for the way German, British and other expats live. As David says, “Of course I would recommend it to everyone I know because it is a very pleasant and friendly place!”
Something to bear in mind for the future, perhaps…
Until that moment arrives, however, you may still prefer to purchase property in Spain. Or perhaps you’re looking to sell up.
The latest figures of house prices in Spain suggest that demand is still sky-high for people trying to buy a home in the country, which has pushed property values up by 0.62% in August, and by almost 7% since this time last year.
The most expensive autonomous communities to buy a property in Spain this August were the Balearic Islands (4,150 euros per square metre), Madrid (3,524 euros/m2) and the Basque Country (3,001 euros/m2), while the cheapest were the inland regions of Extremadura (820 euros/m2), Castilla-La Mancha (870 euros/m2) and Castilla y León (1,199 euros/m2).
In terms of the sharpest increases in house prices from last year, the Balearic Islands saw the biggest rise, with homes now being an average of 16.89% more expensive than they were 12 months ago. This is followed by the Canary Islands (+13.13%) and the Valencian Community (+12.35%), while the province where house prices rose most from one year to the next was Málaga (+17.96%).
As stated, property market observers mainly attribute this rise in prices to a high level of demand, which is increasing despite the fact that Spanish banks are reportedly granting fewer mortgages now. Another reason that prices are rising is due to the slow progress of new build developments, which are being hampered by a spike in the cost of construction materials.
The experts also say house prices are unlikely to drop any time soon. So, if you’re one of those many people who wants to buy a home in Spain, now seems like a good time as it’s only going to get dearer for the time being; and if you’re looking to sell up in Spain, well now is also a good time as the market is favourable towards sellers, but you may want to wait a little bit if you want to squeeze a bit more out of your asking price.
Beyond mere statistics and dry figures, this dynamic situation in the Spanish housing market is borne out by anecdotal evidence from individual realtors.
For instance, Murcia Golf Properties, a specialist real estate agency dedicated to selling homes to expats on golf resorts in the Region of Murcia, has once again reported that they are selling out villas on the popular Mar Menor Golf Resort on the very same day they list them, and are even having to turn down other interested buyers because someone else got their first.
This isn’t the first time they have warned of a similar lack of property for sale, as back in April they also noticed a massive boom in sales on regional golf resorts that led them to issue a call for anyone hoping to sell a 2- or 3-bedroom villa (the most in-demand type of property right now) to contact them urgently.
Lastly, but not leastly, if you’re in search of owt to do this weekend in the Region of Murcia, you could do worse than watch the Rugby World Cup in good company at Club MMGR on the Mar Menor Golf Resort. They’re showing all the games live at their bar/restaurant, starting with host nation France as they take on New Zealand at 9.15pm this Friday. Don’t forget to join the rugby sweepstake for some extra excitement!
For something a bit more family friendly, why not check out the live musical tribute on stage to Disney’s The Lion King (in Spanish, of course)? Taking place in Cartagena this Sunday night, tickets can be bought online to see a multimedia performance of ‘Voy a ser el Rey León’ (not ‘I Just Can’t Wait to Be King’); ‘Ciclo sin Fin’ (not ‘Circle of Life’) and ‘Hakuna Matata’ (‘Hakuna Matata’).
Tickets are 15 euros per person and can be purchased online in advance.
Check out our EVENTS DIARY for more ideas of what to do in the Region of Murcia:
That’s all we’ve got for you this week. A bit of a change in format, I know, but due to circumstances beyond my control. I hope it didn’t distract from your reading too much. Maybe it even added to it!
Anyway, thanks a lot for continuing to read your weekly bulletin. It’s a pleasure to be able to craft it for you each week. We’ll be back next Friday with more. Until then, take care!
