THE WAYPOINT SUR
Many hands make light work
Our phones screamed at us Friday night.
The ES-Alert hit 27 municipalities across Málaga province — the city centre, Cártama, Alhaurín el Grande, Coín, and most of the Guadalhorce Valley. Red alert. Extraordinary danger. Stay inside.
By Saturday morning, the Guadalhorce River had crested at 5.80 metres in Cártama. That's a historic high, breaking the previous record of 5.52 metres set in March. Two records in one year.
The storm passed. But if you had family flying in, guests in a rental, or day trips to the mountains planned, your holiday week just got more complicated.
Here's what's actually changed.
Your Holiday Week
If family was flying in: Twenty-four flights were diverted Friday night. Some passengers circled Málaga twice before landing in Valencia or Seville, then drove back for three hours. If your parents or in-laws were on one of those flights, you already know. Rebooking is still chaotic through midweek.
If you had Ronda plans: The A-397 between Ronda and San Pedro de Alcántara was impassable on Saturday due to hail and snow accumulation. Mountain routes across the province saw closures. Check road conditions via DGT at dgt.es or call 011 before heading inland this week.
If you're hosting guests: The quiet week you planned to show family around the coast is now competing with admin. Restaurants in flood-affected areas, particularly around Alhaurín el Grande and parts of Marbella, may be short-staffed or closed for cleanup. Worth calling ahead to reconfirm New Year's Eve reservations.
If your car was in an underground garage, check with your comunidad — homeowners' association — about drainage status. Several underground car parks flooded in Benalmádena and Torremolinos. If your vehicle was affected, CCS (below) covers it at no deductible.
If You Own Property
This can't wait until after New Year's.
The Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros — Spain's extraordinary risk insurance pool — covers flood damage. Residential properties have no deductible. But the clock starts now.
What you need to do this week:
Document everything — Photos and video of all damage before any cleanup
File within 7 days — Recommended deadline. CCS accepts later claims, but sooner means faster processing
Call your insurer—they'll route it to CCS. Or contact CCS directly:
From Spain: 900 222 665
International: +34 952 367 042
Website: consorseguros.es/en
If you're the one making the call:
"Tengo daños por las lluvias del 27 de diciembre. ¿Puede enviar un perito?" — I have damage from the December 27 rains. Can you send an adjuster?
Timeline reality: Payment is legally required within 3 months. Typical: 30-90 days. But adjusters are stretched — the October 2024 Valencia DANA generated 247,000+ claims. Get in the queue now, not in January.
Contractor availability: Expect 2-4 week waits for water damage specialists. Everyone's calling the same people. If you have a trusted contractor relationship, reach out today, even if you're not sure you need them.
The Pattern — And What It Means for Living Here
You've noticed it. More alerts. More "historic" events. More years where the infrastructure doesn't quite hold.
Your instinct is correct.
The data:
DANA frequency has increased 15% since the 1950s (AEMET)
Precipitation intensity in these events is climbing
The Mediterranean is warming at 2°C per century — holding more moisture, releasing it more violently
The Guadalhorce broke its record in March 2025, then broke it again in December 2025
What this means for you:
Short term (this week): Admin. Claims, contractor calls, reconfirming plans. The holiday week you planned is now split between hosting family and handling logistics.
Medium term (next 6 months): Infrastructure investment announcements are coming. Political pressure after events like this always triggers drainage upgrade projects — which means construction disruption in spring and summer. The €8.6 million drainage system in Fuengirola, Mijas, and Torremolinos, which finished in 2025? It failed on its first real test in October. Manhole covers blew open. Expect more ambitious projects and more disruption, as municipalities respond.
Long term (next 2-5 years): Flood zone proximity is becoming a standard due diligence question for property purchases. Insurance premiums may adjust — CCS has absorbed enormous losses (€2.8 billion paid on DANA claims through April 2025), but the system is under pressure. If you're buying, ask about flood history. If you own, verify your coverage scope at renewal.
The bigger picture: Two historic floods in one year aren't anomalies anymore. It's the new baseline. The Costa del Sol will adapt — it always does — but the adaptation comes at a cost: money, time, and occasional inconvenience. Knowing that in advance is half the battle.
Spanish-lite
Two phrases for the week ahead:
When calling about your claim:
"¿Cuánto tiempo tarda el perito en venir?" — How long until the adjuster arrives?
When reconfirming a reservation:
"Quería confirmar mi reserva para Nochevieja." — I wanted to confirm my New Year's Eve reservation.
The river dropped. The alerts stopped. The sun's already back.
But between now and New Year's, some of us are juggling guest logistics, insurance calls, and the quiet realisation that this is happening more often. The infrastructure isn't keeping pace with the climate — that's clear now. But CCS works, claims get paid, and the coast recovers. It always does.
Handle what you can this week. The rest will wait.
Not bad for a Monday — A. and the decelared safe Waypoint Sur team
With Waypoint Sur, you can always expect plain-English guidance to land, settle, and thrive on the Costa del Sol—work, schools, healthcare, visas, taxes, home, and daily life.
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