Cártama, Spain – Chaos has erupted across Málaga as Storm Laurence unleashes torrential rain and swollen rivers, forcing the Guardia Civil to swoop in and rescue around 20 people and their pets from flooded homes in Cártama. The brutal downpours have turned streets into raging torrents, leaving entire towns underwater and families fleeing in the dead of night.

The Guadalhorce River, the province’s drainage lifeline, smashed its historical record with a terrifying 5.46-metre surge, topping its 2016 peak and plunging Cártama into a state of emergency. Meanwhile, the Campanillas River, overwhelmed by water gushing from the Casasola dam, burst into Málaga’s suburbs, evacuating 370 families from Santa Amalia, La Isla, and La Hacienda. Rescues unfolded in the early hours, with firefighters and police pulling a woman from her car as floodwaters rose around her.

Málaga’s roads are a mess, with the A-7057 to Cártama Station and the A-7054 to Santa Rosalía-Maqueda shut down by the deluge. Schools and colleges in Cártama, home to 3,500 pupils, have been shuttered as the town council triggered its Flood Emergency Plan. Hard-hit areas like Campanillas, Marbella, and Cártama clocked record-breaking rainfall, filling reservoirs to the brim as another storm looms on the horizon.

In Campanillas, the Ciudad Jardín sports centre has been turned into a makeshift shelter, though most displaced residents are crashing with relatives. The province is reeling from the hydrological havoc, with overflowing rivers, mass evacuations, and a crippled road network signaling a grim week ahead.

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