The breakage of the outfall at Cala Reona, in Cabo de Palos, is one of the most damaging effects of the storm on the coast of Cartagena. The waves have washed away the sand from the beaches and the walkways set up by the city council in preparation for Easter.
The repairs will not be carried out until the rain and wind stop, according to the mayoress, Noelia Arroyo, who fears that the image will not improve much for Easter Week because the bad weather forecast is still in force. In an initial assessment Arroyo has summarised that the water has reached the promenades such as Cabo de Palos, raising the pavement at the height of the restaurant La Tana. Other beaches in La Manga and the Mar Menor have also suffered the consequences.
In Cala Reona, the outfall recently repaired by the Community is floating. To avoid nautical accidents, the town council has notified the Capitanía Marítima.
It seems that there will not be enough sand to install the chiringuitos on the beaches this Easter. At least the structures have not been damaged, as the president of the La Manga traders, Antonio Plaza, says.
ROADS CLOSED
The local police in Cartagena are keeping three roads closed due to the rains of the last few hours. It is not possible to drive on the La Aparecida road at the height of the chapel, on the RM-602 at the junction with Pozo de los Palos and on the Sifón road, which links the northern districts with the town centre.
In all cases the water accumulated in large quantities at these points, which meant that, initially, some drivers had to be rescued. The local police officers proceeded to cut off traffic throughout the morning and in the early afternoon traffic was still interrupted.
The road to Escombreras via Cala Cortina is also cut off after part of the road collapsed as a result of the rain. Access to the industrial valley is from the dual carriageway, via the local road to Escombreras, the CT 34. According to sources at the port authority, the road to Escombreras is cut off from the beach of Cala Cortina to the roundabout at the Príncipe Felipe quay. The collapse occurred after the third tunnel, near the Aemedsa factory. A regular worker in the Valley dodged it this morning and said that it is not the first time that the road has sunk.
THE ACTIVITY OF THE PILOTS IN THE PORT PARALYSED
Another effect of the storm is that it has paralysed the activity of the pilots who direct the entry and exit of ships in the port of Cartagena. Three vessels which completed their operations yesterday have not left the port until this work can be resumed.
In addition, one of the two cruise ships scheduled to dock in Cartagena today, the ‘Silver Dawn’, remains in the open sea, with 600 passengers on board, waiting for the captain to decide whether or not to enter the port. The second vessel, carrying a thousand tourists, docked at around 12 noon, four hours later than planned. The pilotage does not affect cruise ships, but merchant ships of larger tonnage.
YELLOW WARNING FOR RAINFALL OF UP TO 70 LITRES IN 12 HOURS IN CAMPO DE CARTAGENA
The State Meteorological Agency has decreed a yellow warning for accumulated rainfall in 12 hours of up to 70 litres per square metre in the Campo de Cartagena and Mazarrón until midnight tonight, with accumulated in a single hour of 25 litres per square metre.
Warnings also remain active for coastal phenomena and maximum wind gusts in the same area until midnight tonight.
This one, which appears on the Twitter account of the Regional Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environment, is the image of the Albujón wadi at its mouth with a significant increase in the flow of water that is entering directly into the Mar Menor.