storm channels

[bluefox]

no doubt some of you have seen the "open storm channel" being built thru' materal and toward the airport, is the canaries expecting to get monsoon weather in the future ? let's face it the amount of rain we get here a 100 mil surface water pipe would do, i just think of the wasteful cost, must be in the 100 of 1,000's bracket, a similar work's was done heading toward's the atlantico cntr, all that spend and still caleta beach have no improvement.   

[woe10]

Yep, unfortunately Bluefox, this looks like the concrete company ( the one with the pale green wagons, that I have commented on before, whos owner is "very close" to the Politicians here ) seems to be making sure that money that could go on building a new beach etc..  is going on useless projects such as this and others, in order to keep him in the lifestyle he has become use to. It's strange that no other concrete companies get these contracts.

[glenys]

When it rains in Fuerteventura the water runs straight off the mountains and roads as there aren't any road drains. There were really bad floods a few years ago and the large storm drains and barranco's were definitly needed. At least it's better to be safe than sorry unlike the Somerset levels this year.

[Captain Sensible]

It's probably, AENA, the airport's authority that are having the work done.  As Glenys says, it's better to be safe than sorry.  The road floods at El Matorral and on the road between the Atlantico Caentre and Caleta when there is heavy rain.

[bluefox]

how can you compare the s.w. of england disaster with the little rain we get in fuerte,   a couple of bore-hole's along those stretch's, would do the job, they would act as soak-away's, the rock here is not a solid mass, it's full of void's for any water to go, be on the "safe-side" have you two seen the size of them channel's, gullies whatever, a monsoon would'nt fill em, total waste of money. 

[whispa]

I think they must know something we don't. Glenys is right, the roads were flooded badly a few years back, in the middle of the island people were rowing boats on the fields here. you only have to look at the hills/mountains inland to see how green they are, beautiful

[glenys]

I wasn't comparing the terrible floods they had in Somerset/UK but just saying the British government should pay more attention to areas that flood. They are at last listening now and dredging the rivers on the Somerset levels. We were near Ajuy once when it came to rain and the water was pouring down off the mountain down to the barranco and into the sea. The road was washed away near Pajara a couple of years ago too.

[Spike On Q]

Asphalt when laid is like a carpet - heavy rain here in Fuerteventura gets underneath the asphalt and lifts it destroying the road surface

If you look at my photos of the road to Ajuy that shows the main road bridge having being destroyed you will also see what was left of the new temporary asphalt road washed away a cpl of weeks later [thx Glenys]

http://s759.photobucket.com/user/spikejd/media/Another%20Storm%20-%20January%202011/StormJan2011_0001.mp4.html

Infrastructure and communications must take priority over beaches

You may also wish to consider security of the airport where the new "ditch" work is being done in El Matoral

[SheilaW]

I guess you haven't experienced a real storm over here, Bluefox. When I lived in the south of France (sorry guys ) loads of new arrivals would say the same thing. It's true that people used to have picnics in the absolutely enormous storm drains, and park their cars in them, and there were often big plants growing in them. But then every autumn there'd be deaths as people got swept away. I've only been here 2 years but I've seen some storms getting on for that sort of intensity.

It often isn't the amount of rain during the year that causes the most damage; it's the amount per hour, even if only once every few years.

[isleswing]

Those channels do look absurd, but I know that most of the Island's annual rainfall happens in about 2 lots, so it must be spectacular. Dry ground can't soak up water as quickly as moist ground, so most of it will run off. Also, it's cheaper to build the storm drains than repair roads and buildings afterwards, let alone the cost of being without that infrastructure while waiting for the rebuilding.
At least the Island's made of rock, unlike ours (Wight) which soaks up the rain, then goes soft and starts fraying round the edges. We've lost one of our scenic routes this year.

[ashworth]

We get so little rain here. Look at the mountains. Just money to do work in case of a big storm. They have done a good job and it will useful once or twice a year. The big problem we have here is that the beach in front of the Atlantico centre floods 2 or 3 times a week. It needs about 100000000 tons of sand to sort it and as the company who own it are skint. Not happy days.

[isleswing]

Is that a flood or the tide?

[duncolm]

Look at the landscape of Fuerteventura, see all those barrancos? It's taken a lot of running water to cut those out of the landscape. Floods may not happen often but they obviously happen.

If climate change is happening then extreme weather events will become more common. Someone will appear shortly to say climate change is a myth, but since Europe and North America seem to be having "once in a century" weather events every year it's hard to discount the theory.

Can't criticise the authorities for taking steps to protect the infrastructure.

[woe10]

I lived in El Matorral on and off for about 15 years, up in the valley. The only time I've seen serious flooding is when they built all those new houses, and some Brightspark, ( not you BS ) didn't realise that they had blocked all the water coming down the Valley during a storm. They have since built a deep trench at the back of these houses, which joins the Barranco that runs into the sea. Never flooded since.

[bluefox]

well as a retired construction contract's manager, (and a carpenter by trade) i still think it's o.t.t. and a waste of money, and just to say we purchaced our property in fuerte 10 yrs ago, and spend more time here in a yr than at "home", so, we're not "newbies", and yes i have seen heavy rain storm's, especially the freak one 2 yrs ago that blew off course from the carribean, a day later you'd never knew it'd rained at all.
   

[Ivemovedon]

bit like the dunes bypass and the the very costly extention to the airport. But hey if the moneys there in the form of EU funding why look a gift horse in the mouth,

[bluefox]

if it's eu funding, then that's my point, it should be spent more wisely and what's really needed, if my memory serve's me right, is'nt the airport privately owned ? agreed on the road improvement's, that are mostly eu funded.

[woe10]

The point I'm trying to make is that all this "EU Funded Money" for Airport extensions, by-passes, storm drains, cycle paths etc, seem to be going to the same "Connected" Concrete Company.

There's no concrete involved in re-sanding the Beach in Caleta, so it doesn't qualify 

[Ivemovedon]

Wouldn't think theres too many concrete companies operating on the island , but i agree it always helps to get a contract if you can count the customer as a buddy 

[bedouin]

In September 2012, we were on holiday in Vera Playa, the huge naturist resort in mainland Spain.  One morning, it started to rain, and I have never seen such rain in my life! In some places nearby, the authorities reported over 9" of rain on Friday - that's an unbelievable downpour. Thankfully, apart from some flooded roads, the apartment complex we were in wasn't badly affected. The real problems were a bit farther south of Vera Playa. For a taste of what it was like, this YouTube video was taken from the upstairs bar at Vera Beach Club, only just over a mile south of where we were. It's hard to comprehend the speed with which this wall of water hit the area - the rain started in earnest at about 8.00am, and this video was taken about midday.  Those storm channels are needed!

Inundación Vera Playa - Pueblo Laguna 28-09-2012 Parte 7 Hora: 11:51 am

[bluefox]

in case you did'nt notice, fuerteventura is NOT on main land spain    i did'nt even bother lookin at the video......no point !

[bedouin]

in case you did'nt notice, fuerteventura is NOT on main land spain    i did'nt even bother lookin at the video......no point !

Doesn't matter - freak weather can affect any area.

[RVEEE]

Yep, unfortunately Bluefox, this looks like the concrete company ( the one with the pale green wagons, that I have commented on before, whos owner is "very close" to the Politicians here ) seems to be making sure that money that could go on building a new beach etc..  is going on useless projects such as this and others, in order to keep him in the lifestyle he has become use to. It's strange that no other concrete companies get these contracts.

Is that the company with the logo of a bent penis?

[woe10]

in case you did'nt notice, fuerteventura is NOT on main land spain    i did'nt even bother lookin at the video......no point !

"Sunny Spain" is overated. I've lived there, and for 3 months each winter it never stops raining. Especially Costa Blanca.

[bluefox]

"the rain in spain fall's mainly on the" .......we're not talking about main-land bloody spain, somerset, or any bloody where else, it's FUERTEVENTURA ! 60 friggin mile's from western sahara, how much friggin rain does that get ? ? ?     how many roof's has anyone seen that has a gutter ? ? ?......hang on !....i'll answer that.....NONE !

[waggy]

in case you did'nt notice, fuerteventura is NOT on main land spain    i did'nt even bother lookin at the video......no point !

You've never seen the inundations of El Cotillo!?  Biblical proportions, I tell you!

Las calles de El Cotillo se convierten en barrancos


And did I never tell you about the day the bus trip I was on nearly made it halfway up Mt Teide on one of the other islands in 1980?  At the start of the day all was calm - and then a hurricaine storm front hit the place - after 7 years drought, the drinking water situation being dire by then, all the reservoirs were exhausted and the river beds dry as mummy bone.
By the end of breakfast it had started to rain and we boarded the bus - just in time for the greatest deluge since the word rain was invented. Half an hour later the two tour guides on the bus were giggling like school kids as every river and storm drain we crossed had been turned into raging torrents, sweeping one metre diameter boulders downstream. The reservoirs were rapidly filled to over-flowing. The guides were too young to remember seeing real rain before. I had to get out of the bus to repair the bus's trashed windscreen wipers with a pair of pliers before we could proceed, getting soaked to the skin, literally.
The force of the hurricaine ripped up trees by the roots across the road that winds around Teide like the Lambton Worm. The men on the bus had to get out and push palms and trees off the road so the trip could continue. Eventually, progress was completely halted by a land-slide and we reversed back to a wayside cafe where the only food they had was egg-soup, which is OK if you have an appetite for raw eggs floating in warm water.
The men on the bus thought it was quite interesting, the kids had a whale of a time, continually cheering, whilst their mothers were in tears bewailing the loss of precious sun-bathing opportunity.

[bluefox]

YAAAAAAWWWWWWWNNN !     

[Ivemovedon]

Looks like i'll have to replace my speedos with a sou'ester this year.

details of any local tradesmen competant in the constuction of storm bunkers please?

[waggy]

YAAAAAAWWWWWWWNNN !     

There are people who make things happen, people who watch things happen - and people who wonder what happened

[Ivemovedon]

thers also those who over-react to what happens ..