A number of Spanish holiday hotspots were hit with severe flooding this week, with some areas seeing 100mm of rain in just one hour.
While the UK basks in sunshine, half of Spain’s 50 provinces received weather warnings from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), causing chaos for locals and tourists alike.
Urgent alerts were issued for the regions of Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón yesterday, after flash floods led to disruption across the worst-hit areas on Friday.
Shocking footage showed streets left underwater by the storms, and cars were seen floating away in floodwaters near the El Cardener river.
Two people have also been reported missing in the area, while the Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed in Tarazona, Zaragoza to help deal with the resulting damage.
One plane that took off from Barcelona was forced to turn back after sustaining damage to its nose in a hail storm, and roads were blocked throughout the city, with one hospital having to refuse patients after it flooded.
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Extreme weather is also expected to hit the Cantabrian coast, the Balearic Islands and parts of central and eastern Spain in the coming days, bringing heavy showers, thunderstorms, and in some places, torrential downpours.
Travel advice for Spain after weather warnings
The UK Foreign Office has not currently issued any new travel warnings for Spain after the flooding.
However, it urged UK travellers: ‘Check weather warnings from Spain’s meteorological office (AEMET) before travel and follow the advice of the local authorities.’
And, like with any country, the Foreign Office advises British nationals to stay vigilant when abroad.
On X, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on people to exercise ‘great caution’ in flood-hit areas, which include destinations popular with tourists including Catalonia and Valencia.
What to do if you’re caught in a flood abroad
Before or during a flood, the UK government says you should turn off gas, electricity and water supplies, if it’s safe to do so.
They also advise to move to higher ground, and to use flood protection products if those are available to you. It is also recommended to follow the advice of local officials or emergency services.
The FCDO states that British travellers are responsible for their own personal safety while abroad, adding ‘we do not have a general duty of care to British nationals abroad’.
However, the FCDO may set up a specific response to help British nationals in a crisis abroad, which can include natural disasters such as flooding. This can include a dedicated hotline or online registration where you can apply for assistance.
Can I get a refund if I cancel my holiday due to the floods?
If you’ve taken out your travel insurance and you’d now like to cancel your holiday due to the floods, you may be entitled to some money back.
Flooding should be included under the natural disasters coverage (although it varies between insurers so check your policy) but this comes with a catch.
Travel insurance will only pay out for holiday cancellations if the FCDO advises against anything but essential travel to your holiday destination – and there are currently no such warnings for Spain.
Some providers also require the local or national authorities to state it’s unsafe to travel there. If your holiday provider or airline is operating there as normal and there are no advisories, you won’t get any cancellation cover.
According to gocompare.com, you should look at the ‘cancellation and curtailment’ section of your policy, as this can help with cancelling or cutting a trip short due to extreme weather.
There’s another reason your travel insurance may not cover you, too. If extreme weather was forecast for the area before you booked your holiday and before you took out your insurance policy, you won’t be covered for ‘anticipated’ events.
Basically, if you knew the weather was going to be bad but booked it anyway, you won’t get your refund.
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