Madira - landslides strike

[Gary/Gaynor]

heard on news this morning of the terrible landslides that have ripped through Funchal and there have been some that have died. Awful thing to happen, Portugal is calling for European aid to help with clean up operations. Very sad. :(Gaynor

[EMM]

Over 32 reported deaths so far and tourists instructed to remain in their hotels, more rain forcast.

Here in Carvoeiro it was a wild and very stormy night ( over an inch of water added to the pool ).
We have just had a very heavy period of rain with thunder and lighting.

Climate change , call it what you will something is happening to world weather.

[maccasa]

the pictures of Funchal reminded me of the Boscastle disaster! I see the rain is still forecast for next week - but it starts to get much warmer and raine stops beginning of march - Guess when we come over

[TomUK]

Agreed - really sad about the disasters in Madeira.

Of course, the Algarve enjoys sunny, dry weather for a large part of the year, but I sometimes wonder when I'm out there if they have the standard of drainage systems to cope when heavy rains strike. It must be tempting to not be too particular about the drains when the rain is only going to be a problem for a short time. In the rainy UK we wouldn't dream of a house without gutters - but this is almost the norm in southern Portugal.

I realise that the disaster in Madeira was due mainly to mudslides which can happen anywhere in the world if the rain is severe enough.

[wolfie]

Just got back from CVO tonight - 4 hour delay as MCR shut this am with snow - again ! Point about lack of gutters in Algarve is very valid - you only have to walk down the out rd and see the rain cascading off appts of monte dourado and others .Our villa is a new build with no gutters and this year because of the rain already some areas will need repainting .I am going to get gutters done and water butts to save on water bill for garden in summer .The garden irrigation has stayed firmly switched off !
The weather on sat night in cvo was torrential with very high winds
Pictures of Madeira look horrendous - the whole island is a hill so it is easy to see why with high rainfall the torrents happened

[ceh]

I was very sad to see the pictures from Madeira on the tv this morning - have some happy memories of holidays there. On one occasion we had very heavy rain which caused rockfalls and landslides although nothing like as bad as those now reported.

[Globetrotter]

The philosophy on gutters/water control/ whatever you call it here is laughable. We have just recently finished fighting with our builder re gutters, drainage ditches (they collapsed our drainage tunnel for our driveway) and slopes. DH grew up in FL where they know how to handle torrential rain.

More heavy rain and wind last night and I am wondering if the Madeira storms are headed our way. The forecast seems to indicate so.

I guess it is the grasshopper mentality. They don't seem to worry about the rain during the long, dry season.

[maccasa]

in CVO and the surrounding area we hae been fortunate to have benefited from the EU subsidies and had new sewage and drainage installed + a new water treatment plant (on the out rd) over the last 3-4 yrs; so we dont have the problem it used to be. However living half way up the Solfeiras hill, when it rains heavily, there is an interesting cascade down the centre of the rd - I expect to see Salmon leaping if it gets any worse!

[Bruce Wallis]

We have a timeshare on Maderia, and know the island well.
To see a virtual tsunami surging under the moterway bridge and down the flood canal in the centre of Funchal, was heartbreaking.

I suspect the efficiency the island has in capturing and channelling all its rainfall into culvets or "levadas", and carefully channelling it all the way down through the fields from the mountain peaks, right down through to the sea, was the architect of the disaster. Instead of falling and coming down from the mountains in relatively small amounts, it was collected and channelled. In so doing overwhelming the channels to terrible effect.

[cereza]

A friend of mine also has a time share on Madeira. He spoke to friends on the island who also said that they believed the culvert system may have contributed to the disaster but it had been raining all year culminating in the torrential downpour which was the final straw. They also said that a lot of lives were lost when people rushed to the car park near the sea to move cars out of the way only to be carried out to sea by the wall of water.
The pictures are heart rending as you say BW