Malaga Flood History: couple lives in fear of heavy rainfall since 1979 flood

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Isabel, 83, recalls the traumatic event, which almost cost her life, and the psychological wound recent storms have opened

María José Díaz Alcalá

Thursday, 5 February 2026, 13:05

Isabel was 35 years old when she almost lost her life in the 1979 flood in Malaga province.

She and her husband Salvador live in fear every time it rains heavily in the northern village of Almargen. On Wednesday, storm Leonardo triggered the old trauma.

On 20 October 1979, the overflowing river entered their home on Avenida de Ronda 10. Salvador, who had taken their children upstairs, thought that the strong flow had swept away his wife.

"I grabbed hold of the bars on a window because the water was up to my neck," Isabel says, while Salvador nods next to her. The water surprised him too, but he managed to hold on. Although they suffered no physical damage, they lost a lot of belongings.

Alive and well, they bear the psychological mark of that day in 1979. When storm Leonardo flooded several streets in the village on Wednesday, Isabel's fears increased.

"I didn't even eat all day," she says. Salvador says that only someone who has lived through something similar "can understand".

Their daughter María was 13 years old when the historical flood happened, but she remembers it well. The whole family went to help Isabel and Salvador on Wednesday and prepare the house for a possible flooding.

They placed sacks of flour to prevent the water from seeping in, which allowed Isabel to breathe a little despite the forecast.

Nobody should have to learn a lesson like theirs, but the state of the river every time it rains has taught them to always put any valuable belongings upstairs, even when there is little risk.