Flash floods and torrential rain in Lanzarote have sparked concerns among holidaymakers that their trips to the Canary island could be disrupted.
The extreme weather at the weekend, which lasted until early Sunday morning, prompted a state of emergency in Teguise, Arrecife and San Bartolomé, towns popular with tourists in the centre and east of the island.
No rainfall was reported in the north or south of Lanzarote, which receives about three million visitors every year, with more than a million of those from the UK.
As well as roads and homes, hotels were flooded, there were power cuts, and some flights were cancelled or diverted. Emergency services were reportedly called to more than 150 incidents in Costa Teguise, and at least 70 more in Arrecife, the island’s capital.
Footage from local news showed cars submerged in water-logged roads, while homeowners were forced to use buckets to bail water out of their houses. It is thought that as much as 60 litres of rain fell in just two hours on Saturday.
The incident, part of Storm Oliver, is the latest in a series that has hit the Canary Islands and mainland Spain and Portugal over the past few weeks.
The aftermath of the downpour and flooding in Arrecife (Photo: Europa Press Canarias)On Lanzarote, the storm has subsided. The state of emergency has now been lifted but some hotels were left without power. There have been no reported injuries.
Residents were advised to travel by car only if absolutely necessary, and not to move their vehicles if they were on flooded roads.
Lanzarote’s airport is now fully open and operating normally.
The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) highlighted that a number of roads were affected by mud, making it difficult to travel on them.
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In its travel advice, it writes: “Heavy rainfall and flooding in Lanzarote occurred over the weekend. Journeys may be affected. If you are in Lanzarote or travelling to Lanzarote, follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local weather updates.”
Spain’s state meteorological agency, AEMET, predicted “a low chance of light scattered rain” on the island for Monday.
A spokesperson for the Spanish Tourist Office told The i Paper that while the emergency response had concluded, efforts were still under way to assess and repair the damage.
They explained that “some areas may still experience localised disruptions,” and that, “the Spanish Tourist Office advises travellers to stay updated on local weather conditions and follow the guidance of local authorities in Lanzarote and UK Foreign Office Advice.”
If in doubt, it’s always a good idea to contact your holiday operator to find out if your stay is likely to be affected.
What are my passenger rights?
If you have a trip booked to Lanzarote but want to cancel because of the flooding, it is unlikely you will be able to obtain a refund.
That is because the FCDO has not explicitly warned against travel due to the flooding, and so the incident is not classed as an exceptional circumstance. In these circumstances, travel companies have no obligation to refund bookings if a traveller wants to cancel.
However, the exact terms and conditions can vary depending on your holiday provider, so it is important to get in touch with them to discuss your options before making any solid decisions.
It is also a good idea to speak to your travel insurance provider, as some policies do provide cover for events such as this.
If you are keen to postpone your trip, some holiday providers are able to offer this as a service, sometimes for a fee.
Arrecife, Lanzarote’s capital, was badly hit by the rainfall (Photo: Alessandro Bellani/Getty)What if my flight is cancelled?
Passengers who find that their flight has been cancelled have the right to choose between receiving a refund or travelling on the next available one to their destination – if their flight is covered by UK law.
British passenger rights apply to flights departing from an airport in the UK on any airline, arriving at an airport in the UK on an EU or UK airline, or arriving at an airport in the EU on a UK airline.
If a delay or cancellation was not the fault of an airline, it may be considered to be an “extraordinary circumstance” and that generally means that passengers are unlikely to receive compensation for a delay or cancellation.
This category typically includes severe weather events.
As the FCDO has not warned against non-essential travel to Lanzarote, it is unlikely that travellers will be able to get a refund from a tour operator if they decide not to travel.
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