Fresh storms and floods have hit Spain’s southern province of Malaga as the EU debates crisis management

Storms in Spain caused school closures and train cancellations on Wednesday, two weeks after flash floods in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Streets were flooded in Spain’s southern province of Malaga, while 3,000 people were pre-emptively evicted from their homes near the Guadalhorce River.

There were no reports of any deaths.

Spanish weather forecaster AEMET put Malaga on red alert, saying up to 70mm of rain had accumulated in an hour.

Parts of Tarragona province in the east also experienced heavy rain and remained under red alert.

The forecast in Malaga delayed the start of the Billie Jean King Cup tennis final between Pain and Poland, which was scheduled for Wednesday.

The storm system hitting Spain is caused by warm air colliding with stagnant cold air to form powerful rain clouds.

Experts say drought and flood cycles are increasing due to climate change.

In response to the devastating floods in Spain, the European Parliament on Wednesday debated measures to strengthen the EU’s resilience to extreme weather events and provide support to those affected by the disaster.

“We must ensure that we are prepared when the next disaster strikes, because we are already living in an era of crisis,” said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, adding that “Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world.”

The debate focused on strengthening the EU’s crisis response, especially in regions increasingly vulnerable to climate-related events. It hoped to underline the EU’s commitment to improving climate adaptation efforts in member states.