The freak storm which hit Majorca in the early hours of this morning caught the island by surprise.
Late yesterday, the local met. office put the region on level one yellow alert for outbreaks of heavy rain for yesterday, however, the storm hit earlier than expected causing serious damage to some parts of the island, in particular Puerto Andratx which always gets caught in the eye of the storms despite continual calls from local residents to the council to install improved storm protection barriers, especially for yachts moored in the port.
A number of yachts slipped their moorings and were damaged, some were washed up against the rocks, while tables and chairs were blown into the sea from restaurants and bar terraces.
Many residents woke this morning to be greeted by scenes of the devastation left in the wake of the storm.
The local council today began cleaning up the chaos while the maritime rescue service began salvaging the damaged yachts and securing moorings in the port ahead of the arrival of further unsettled weather over the coming days.
Palma Council ordered that the yellow flag be hoisted in Cala Mayor, warning swimmers of the dangers posed by the heavy sea and strong waves while, yet again, the beaches at Ciudad Jardin and Can Pere Antoni, were closed with the red flag flying.
According to Palma council sources, the red flags have been hoisted “as a precaution” in the wake of the strong storms which caused a build up of sewage at two key treatment plants in Palma which could lead to further spillages on to the beaches.