The Emergency Coordination Center of the Tenerife Island Council has recorded more than 100 incidents attended on the island of Tenerife, with the effects of the storm ‘Nuria’, which has kept the island on maximum alert for winds since early Thursday morning, as indicated in a press conference by the island president of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila.
Thus, she has indicated that the highest number of incidents occurred between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm, in line with the forecasts, during which incidents also increased in the metropolitan area, especially in the municipality of La Laguna and in the Rural Park of Anaga.
In an assessment of the effects, there were reports of sporadic power outages in various parts of the island, in northern towns, as well as sheet metal detachments and tree falls, among other obstacles, on the roads. It is still necessary to check the condition of the trails and forest tracks to ensure safety before reopening.
According to the Island Council, the only personal injury was that of a 72-year-old man, with less serious injuries, after a sheet metal fell on his leg on Luis Lavaggi Street in Puerto de la Cruz.
REDUCING WIND INCIDENCE
According to Rosa Dávila, sustained winds between 70 and 80 kilometers per hour have been recorded on the island, as well as over 150 kilometers per hour in the Teide National Park. However, at present, the incidence of wind is «decreasing» in all parts of the island.
«In fact, we are no longer on alert for rain,» Dávila noted, informing that significant rainfall has been recorded in some areas of the island, especially in the south and in the Isla Baja, with 88 liters collected in Cruz de Tea in Granadilla, or 60 liters in Vilaflor.
There have also been reports of closures and evacuations at beaches such as La Nea, Bolullo, and Las Teresitas, among others, due to expected coastal phenomena.
«The forecasts for the coming hours are for the situation to continue decreasing, and we hope, as the Government of the Canary Islands had planned, that around 10 pm tonight, the alert we are currently under maximum alert will likely be lifted,» added Rosa Dávila.
Regarding the resumption of face-to-face classes this Friday, Rosa Dávila has referred to the information that will be issued tonight by the Ministry of Education, at 8:00 pm, once the Emergency Directorate of the Canarian Government informs about the end of the maximum alert.
«The first thing to say is that, due to the strong winds, a decision was made to appropriately suspend educational activities throughout the island of Tenerife and also recommend that people, to the extent possible for companies and administrations, work remotely,» highlighted the island president.
DETAILS ABOUT THE DAY
The Minister of Natural Environment, Blanca Pérez, has specified that most incidents in the morning were reported in the south, where significant levels of wind and rain were recorded, and to a lesser extent in the lower part of the island, from Teno to Puerto de la Cruz.
And from 2:00 pm onwards, she continued, incidents began to be seen in the metropolitan area, mainly in La Laguna and in the Rural Park of Anaga, the latter a place where landslides and road closures occurred in some parts of the park.
«The efficiency of the intervention has minimized a large part of the risks that existed,» Pérez said, emphasizing that while the impact on the metropolitan area of the island has been less than expected, the rest of the island has been subjected to «intense winds», especially in midlands, with many incidents in towns like Icod, Garachico, and Buenavista until after noon.
She recalled the incidents at the airfields, especially at La Palma and Tenerife North, where there were cancellations and delays during the day, while highlighting that public transportation on the island has operated «relatively normally», except in places where road closures occurred due to the consequences of the storm.
