Spain floods: Thousands of people evacuated in Málaga as country braces for new storms

Thousands of people in southern Spain have been evacuated from their homes due to a red weather alert for heavy rain and storms, just a fortnight after the nation's worst flooding in decades claimed at least 220 lives and caused widespread devastation.

Emergency services in the Málaga region — which includes the tourist resorts of Marbella, Velez and Estepona — have moved around 3,000 people from houses at high risk of flooding located near the Guadalhorce River.

The region is expected to be hit hardest this week by the extreme weather phenomenon known locally as DANA.

Spanish meteorological agency AEMET on Tuesday placed nine communities on red or orange weather alerts for strong storms and heavy to torrential rainfall. The warnings cover Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and parts of the Valencia and Andalusia provinces.

While this latest weather front is not predicted to be as devastating as the one that battered the Valencia region two weeks ago, there are concerns that it could cause further damage and disruption in flood-hit areas.

For example, Valencia's emergency committee has said the impact of more rain in the area could be severe due to large quantities of mud already on the ground and the poor condition of the sewage system.

Several municipalities in flood-affected regions or those covered by weather alerts have cancelled non-essential events, instructed people to work from home and suspended schooling, and asked volunteers to pause ongoing clean-up operations.

Spanish authorities have been swift to act this time around after the response to the heavy flooding in late October was widely criticised by the public and opposition lawmakers as slow and chaotic.

Valencia's leader Carlos Mazón is facing growing pressure