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Date Published: 06/04/2022

ARCHIVED - Alicante beaches decimated by storms unlikely to be repaired for Easter

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Four-metre high waves have swallowed beaches and walkways all across Alicante province

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Alicante beaches decimated by storms unlikely to be repaired for Easter

The torrential storms that marked the beginning of April in Alicante province brought gale-force winds and waves of more than four metres which have virtually swallowed large parts of the coastline in areas such as Elche, Villajoyosa, Torrevieja and Orihuela, ripping up paths, flooding beach bars and play areas and covering the picturesque sandbanks in detritus.

Now, with the first major tourist event of the year just around the corner, local authorities fear that there just isn’t enough time to repair the province’s beaches before Easter.

Areas such as Benidorm and El Campello have escaped the worst of the storm, and the beaches are said to be “in very good condition,” but while the Institute of Coastal Ecology has indicated that sand levels will return to normal naturally in time, it’s highly unlikely this will happen before Holy Week, when Alicante businesses were hoping tourism would return to pre-pandemic levels for the first time.

While it’s still early to assess the extent of the damage beyond what is clearly visible with the naked eye, the strong waves have dragged marine plants to the beaches, leaving orange-brown masses along the shore, and the corpses of countless jellyfish, dolphins and turtles have been washed up.

In Alicante, the storm has flooded the beach and in Elche, the water spread as far as the promenade at Arenales del Sol, completely covering the walkways, footpaths and children’s play areas. The effects of the weather are most noticeable in the Marina Baixa, where the force of the waves has caused the beaches at Bol Nou, Paradis and El Torres to practically “disappear.”

The 40 kilometres of the Vega Baja coastline have been greatly affected, and the beaches at Guardamar del Segura, Torrevieja, Orihuela and Pilar de la Horadada have been decimated after local councils spent the month of March readying them for the expected influx of tourists. Now officials are scrambling to replace the sand and recover the footpaths, wooden walkways, litter bins and other beach furniture washed away by the tide.

José Luis Sáez, Mayor of Guardamar, has indicated that, as the weather is set to improve considerably from Wednesday April 6, work will begin around the clock to reclaim the area’s beaches before Easter.

Meanwhile, the Diputación de Alicante has released a fund of 300,000 euros to help municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants to repair roads and infrastructures affected by the rains.

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