Rain causes landslides and shuts schools

News Staff Reporter ROADS were closed in Pego, El Verger, Ondara and Dénia and La Xara primary school was out for the day after torrential rain swept the Marina Alta on Tuesday night.

The heavens opened at around 20.00 and continued for 12 solid hours until about 08.00 on Wednesday morning, leaving up to 142 litres of rain per square metre (14.2 centimetres, or just under six inches).

Landslides threatened drivers' safety on the CV-700 between Pego and El Verger, past the old Safari Park site, and led to the highway being shut off.

La Xara's portakabin classrooms leaked for the second time since the start of term, fusing the electrics, and water dripped all over pupils sitting at their desks.

School was cancelled for the rest of the day and parents had to rush out to pick their children up.

Conditions were much better in Jávea, where the rainfall amounted to 23 litres per square metre.

GOOD NEWS

Heavy rainfall on Sunday in inland areas of Alicante province did more good than harm, said a spokesman for the agricultural sector.

Major damage was caused to some vineyards, almond and olive groves, but only in areas where the rainfall was classed as torrential.

In other areas, the rain provided much-needed irrigation to crops and served to refill aquifers and clean trees of insects.

The most affected areas in the province were l'Alcoiá and the Alto Vinalopó.

Around 1,000 hectares of olive groves and 800 hectares of almonds in Castalla were damaged by hailstones, while in the Medio Vinalopó no damage was reported.