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Date Published: 23/11/2022

ARCHIVED - Strong winds down trees, awnings and walls wreaking havoc in Alicante province

ARCHIVED ARTICLE -

Gusts reached 114 km per hour in Finestrat in the Marina Baixa region

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Strong winds down trees, awnings and walls wreaking havoc in Alicante province

Alicante province has taken a battering from fierce winds over the last 48 hours, with gusts exceeding 100km per hour wreaking havoc, particularly in the Marina Baixa and Vega Baja regions.

As the wild weather gathered momentum on Monday evening, the 112 Emergencias Valencia received 401 calls which led to 310 emergency responses between 8.40pm and 9.45am on Tuesday. Alicante Provincial Fire Consortium dealt with 41 wind-related incidents.

The State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warned of strong gusts for at least two days on Monday, and sure enough, winds reached 114km per hour in Finestrat and approached 100km per hour in Benidorm, Orihuela and Albatera.

Fortunately, there have been no reports of personal injuries, although dozens of trees have been blown over into public highways, along with street furniture, and walls, awnings and signs have been downed by the wild winds.

Esta mañana tuvimos que acercarnos al núcleo urbano de Benidorm para retirar una decoración navideña que por motivos del viento tenía peligro de caer a la vía, así contribuimos a la seguridad de los peatones y del tráfico 👨‍🚒🚒👍#bomberos #cpba pic.twitter.com/nsfiChMifV
— Consorcio Provincial Bomberos Alicante (@BomberosDipuALC) November 21, 2022

In Benidorm, fire crews removed festive decorations in Paseo de Colon amid fears they would be torn from their fixtures, threatening the safety of pedestrians below, and the Town Hall took the decision on Tuesday morning to tie up large waste containers and delayed collections to stop bins being blown away.

In addition, a plan was established to set up a 'guard post' to secure all construction and public road work sites to prevent fencing and other objects being hurled around.

Debido a que se soltaron los anclajes de un toldo en una 8ª planta de un edificio en Benidorm esta noche por las fuertes rachas de viento y ante la posibilidad de su caída a la vía tuvimos que acudir con un vehículo de altura para proceder a su retirada 🚒👍#cpba #EnAccion pic.twitter.com/VtaqKUQKXu
— Consorcio Provincial Bomberos Alicante (@BomberosDipuALC) November 22, 2022

Meanwhile, council workers worked with emergency services to remove fallen trees and signs blocking pavements and public highways, and an awning on the 8th floor of a building in the coastal resort had to be secured using a high-rise firefighting crane.

In Albatera, the wall of the third floor of an uninhabited building under construction collapsed at around 11.45pm on Monday night, which caused serious damage to two parked vehicles.

"The area was cordoned off and checked by the fire brigade in case of further collapse," fire sources confirmed. And in Elche, fallen branches brought traffic to a standstill as fire crews braced the wind to clear the debris.

More news: Second earthquake strikes Vega Baja region of Alicante province in less than 24 hours

Image 1 (Elche) and 2 (Orihuela): Consorcio Provincial Bomberos Alicante

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