Tenerife panic as 'maximum alert' warning issued with locals and tourists in danger
People have been told not to make unnecessary journeys and schools have closed their doors.
Locals and tourists have been issued an urgent warning as hazardous weather batters Tenerife.
Schools have been closed today, and people have been told not to travel as ferocious 100 km/h winds from Storm Dorothea impact the popular holiday destination. Alerts have also been issued for tomorrow.
The President of the Cabildo de Tenerife for the Canary Islands Coalition, Rosa Davila, said that people should not travel and that schools were to be closed on Monday.
She posted on X: "Classes for tomorrow, Monday December 16, are suspended in all municipalities of Tenerife, including the University of La Laguna.
"We remind you that we are in a situation of maximum alert due to wind and that we must take extreme precautions and avoid unnecessary travel."
?????? Quedan suspendidas las clases de mañana, lunes 16, en todos los municipios de Tenerife, incluyendo también a la Universidad de La Laguna.
— Rosa Davila (@rdavmam) December 15, 2024
???????????? Recordamos que nos encontramos en una situación de alerta máxima por viento y que debemos extremar las precauciones y evitar… pic.twitter.com/jgFunk6WrT
Footage online has shown a portable toilet colliding with two police vehicles, and part of a wall of a commercial establishment in Adeje collapsed.
A red notice for El Hierro Island has been issued by Spain's state meteorological agency, AEMET.
It read: "Wind gusts exceeding 130 km/h have been observed and may continue in the coming hours.
"Caution! The danger is extreme! Hurricane-force gusts may also be recorded in the rest of the western islands: significant danger."
112 Canarias says it has recorded 300 incidents since the start of the inclement weather in the western islands.
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The Department of Tourism and Employment of the Government of the Canary Islands said this morning that, due to the weather conditions, the Directorate-General for Civil Service has recommended that staff of the General Administration of the Autonomous Community in Tenerife, La Palma, El Hierro and La Gomera work remotely on Monday.
A translated direction issued read: "The Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Emergencies, has proceeded to maintain the declaration of maximum alert for wind, based on the forecasts of the State Meteorological Agency for December 16, 2024.
"This maximum alert affects the islands of El Hierro, La Gomera and part of the island of Tenerife, with the island of La Palma and the rest of Tenerife being on alert and the rest of the islands on pre-alert."
The dangerous weather is set to continue tomorrow, with the vice president of the Island Council of Tenerife, Lope Afonso, stating that AEMET has maintained an orange warning for strong gusts of wind in the north of Tenerife and yellow in the south for Tuesday.
He added: "Avoid unnecessary movements and secure objects that may fall."
