Tenerife Floods: Heavy Rain Causes Incidents & Evacuations

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is responding to widespread disruption caused by torrential rainfall on Tuesday, with emergency services undertaking multiple rescue operations and municipal authorities issuing urgent safety warnings. Two individuals experiencing homelessness were trapped in the Barranco de Santos as floodwaters surged following a sudden downpour, according to reports from Diario de Avisos.

The incident in the Barranco de Santos prompted an immediate response from the Policía Local and Tenerife Fire Department, navigating hazardous terrain and ongoing rainfall to reach those affected. Simultaneously, seven people were left isolated on the Chorro road near the Taganana cemetery after a wall collapsed onto the roadway, according to a statement released by the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Ayuntamiento.

The severe weather conditions have also led to the preventative closure of municipal facilities, including those at Parque La Granja and in the La Salud neighborhood. Several infrastructure issues have been reported across the city, including dislodged manhole covers, non-functional traffic lights on the Rambla de Santa Cruz, and flooding in municipal offices. The Ayuntamiento is actively working to address these issues, reinforcing its preventative measures with additional personnel from the Policía Local and Protección Civil.

The situation escalated with the reported entry of sewage into a central area of the city, prompting the precautionary evacuation of approximately 900 students. Authorities are urging residents to exercise extreme caution and avoid barrancos and high-risk areas, particularly in the Anaga region.

Further afield, the TF-13 tunnel leading to La Laguna became flooded, causing significant traffic delays and requiring emergency services intervention. The Cecopin, the Canary Islands’ emergency and protection agency, has confirmed that monitored barrancos are currently stable, but preventative monitoring continues.

The Aemet, the Spanish state meteorological agency, has acknowledged experiencing technical difficulties updating its warning maps for the Canary Islands, posting a notice on social media regarding the errors. The storm, linked to the broader weather system ‘Therese’, continues to impact the islands, with dams releasing water and barrancos nearing capacity.