by Staff Reporter
PALMA
YESTERDAY'S rain and storms proved once again that Majorca is not equipped to handle bad weather, as rain caused flooding and led to Paguera beach being closed.
The storm started out at sea in the early hours of yesterday morning and entered Majorca at Andratx, advancing towards the Bay of Palma.
It caused flooding in basements, garages and pavements in areas such as Santa Ponsa and Son Ferrer in Calvia.
The Council of Majorca fire brigade was called out on various occasions.
Cala Figuera and Puerto Portals were also hit by the storm.
The trouble in Paguera was caused when the torrent or water course could not handle the flow of rainwater, which carried rubbish from the water course on to the beach, close to where the tourist boats land.
Parts of the beach were closed off and cleaning up operations started immediately. Some parts of the beach were reopened yesterday and the rest of the beach will be open today.
A similar problem occurred in Camp de Mar, which last month was closed for several days due to a sewage spill. However, it was not necessary to close the beach.
Irate traders and bar and restaurant owners said that the same problem happens year after year because not enough money is spent on maintaining the torrents which criss cross the island and keeping them clean and free from rubbish. They are dry most of the year, but in heavy rain they become filled with water which carries everything before it.
According to the weatherman, there will be cloudy intervals today and a further drop in night-time temperatures.
There will be a risk of scattered showers late tomorrow, when the temperatures will remain unchanged.
The risk of scattered, possibly stormy, showers will continue on Saturday and Sunday, once again with no change in temperatures.