From May 2011 Ryan Air will be flying to and from Almeria to Brussels therefore making it easier for travellers in Brussels or bordering on the country to make a holiday in the up and coming region. With the introuduction of this route the initial prices appear low, so make the most of the opportunity to book ahead!

Ryan Air also fly into Germany from Almeria.

The Nursery has 8 places for children 0 to 1 year, 16 for the ages of 1 & 2 and 17 places for 2 to 3 year olds.

The Nursey is now almost finished and upon finalisation will have 3 classrooms all painted in various colours dependant upon age, have one large open plan room, toilets, kitchen, an administration room and an exterior patio.

Transport to the Nursery will also be provided free with a grant from the Town Hall until after the summer of 2011.

Other objective is to provide a summer service which will be fully air conditioned.

The new access road consists of the construcion of a number of new supporting walls and has also made the access wider and less bumpy!! Certain improvements were also seriously necessary because of the unusually bad weather during the winter 2009/2010.

The investment in this access was estimated at a cost of 240,183 Euros, covering 571.5 mtrs and employing 10 people in total.

In this project the drainage has also been updated together with the addition of new street signs and lights.

From 9pm until just before midnight there will be a FREE BUFFET serving both Spanish and English typical party food. All welcome!.

There will also be the option of transport at an additional small cost. All interested in finding out more and reserving this transport call Brett on 669 951 714.

There will be a famous blues group coming down from Granada and the entertainment will start at 21.00 on Friday 26th November 2010 in the bar. Entrance free.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Keep tuned for an array of events over the Christmas period.

There will be fun and games for all ages and an excellent prize for the winner of the best dressed halloween costume.

Meson La Orza recently under new management is able to offer its clients excellent tapas in its rustic bar and external seating area. Also there is a function room, available for hire, live music, and many other events. In order to look after the children there are also pool tables, a football game and darts to keep all ages amused!

Look forward to seeing you there!

Waiters are English & Spanish so everyone can relax and feel at home. The bar is open from 7am till the early hours of the morning and this will be for 7 days a week.

The are 3 areas to enjoy, a large shaded outside terrace with unspoilt views out over the Mediterranean Sea, typically rustic Spanish bar and a large function room/games room. If you would like to book a function contact either costatropical@telefonica.net or ring 669951714/627359672. The room is suitable for Birthdays, Christenings and other Special occasions. Upon request music, food and entertainment can be arranged. Also a taxi service is available for those who want to let their hair down and enjoy the day/evening to the full.

Initially the food will remain traditional, Roscas, Jamon, Cheese, Paté, Rations of hot & cold local seafood and meat, however in the future their will be English breakfasts and perhaps even Sunday lunches.

We look forward to giving you a warm welcome!

Set in a breathtaking location with views of the surrounding Sierra de Contraviesa yet only 6km from the coast and the new motorway link.

This property has been 90% renovated and offers spacious accommodation which is tastefully presented to retain the typical Andalucian theme.

The Cortijo is in excess of 200 m2 and the land surrounding the property is 6,500 m2.

The internal accommodation comprises of a large lounge, dining room (with Chimenia), a small area which has been designated as a study, 3 double downstairs bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen leading onto the shaded terrace. On this same level there is an umade room which is used for storage.

On the upper level there is a further bedroom with ensuite.

Externally there are 3/4 corales which can be renovated to create additional living space.

The land is on various tiers and to one side of the Cortijo is a large flat plateau whilst on the other side is an elevated garden area. In additional the land extends onto the hillside and there is an abundance of fruit trees and plenty of almonds.

An excellent South West facing property that enjoys sun for most of the day.

The property is sold with immediate possession and fully furnished.

The catastrophic flooding on the 18th of October, 1973, in the dry stream (rambla) ofAlbuñol caused the loss of 46 lives, the destruction of 91 houses and serious damages to
141. A layer of mud (2 to 3 metres thick) covered the streets of La Rabita ( the village most damaged). The roads and the bridges of comunication between the town and the rest of the province were destroyed along with 250 hectares of cultivated land. The damages were estimated at 300 millions of pesetas.

A heavy rainstorm (600 mm) produced the rapid development of a high density flow in the dry stream, with an elevated volume of sediments (1/3 of the discharge), that was the responsible factor of the high discharge reachedduring the flood (2580 m3/s).

The object of this study is not only the identification of the episode and the analysis of the disaster’s social impact, but also to analyse the different techniques to study the flooding in this type of fluvial system. The historic reconstruction of the event includes an analysis of the social impact and restoration works of the affected area. In addition the hydrologic analyses of the flooding that was based on the study of the greatest floods in small basins has been carried out.
Finally, a morphodynamic and sedimentologic reconstruction was
undertaken. The sedimentological study of deposits corresponding to the flash flood shows that the dynamic nature of these alluvial channels has important implications for floodplain management policy.
The potencial for dramatic changes in geomorphic and hydrologic
characteristics of alluvial channels must be considered in establishing procedures for flood hazard evaluation.
1 INTRODUCTION
Spain is periodically devastated by catastrophes. The measures taken to solve this natural risk are territory management policy by risk maps and the solutions of the emergencies once the catastrophe has happened. The flood of the 18th of October of 1973,in the dry stream (rambla) of Albuñol, constitutes a basic example of catastrophic flooding
– a catastrophe of a low frequency and high magnitude event exceeding the balance of the
fluvial system (Schumm, 1973) in a Mediterranean dry streams.
V.R.Thorndycraft, G. Benito, M. Barriendos and M.C. Llasat (2003). Palaeofloods, Historical Floods
and Climatic Variability: Applications in Flood Risk Assessment (Proceedings of the PHEFRA
Workshop, Barcelona, 16-19th October, 2002).
E. Romero Cordón
328
2 THE HISTORIC RECONSTRUCTION OF THE EVENT
The rain started in the morning of the 18th October of 1973 after six months of drought.
In total 600 mm fell, according to the Comisaria de Aguas del Sur de España records. At about nine o’clock in the evening ( the river had half a metre of water) the rate of rain increased suddenly and the lights of the village went off. At midnight the river, about fifty
metres wide and seven metres deep, overflowed. The majority of the habitants took shelter in the castle tower, the graveyard and nearby hills to the village, but the villagers that lived in two blocks of flats near the river and those living in the fishing district (Rambla de la
Mochila) were left isolated. The rainfall became heavily torrential causing the formation of two massive waves over the river. The first wave went through the village at about half past three in the morning, razing crops, cars, houses, etc. The second wave pulled out a building,
near the river, from its foundations and swept it to the sea with twenty seven people inside.

At dawn the water had disappeared. The flood caused the following damages:
• The loss of 46 lives in the villages of Albuñol, La Rabita, El Pozuelo and in some
isolated houses.
• Destruction of 91 houses and serious damages to 141.
• The streets of the villages La Rabita, Albuñol and El Pozuelo were left covered with a
layer of mud (2 to 4 metres thick). Several cars were left buried.
• The water supply and drainage network were seriously damaged. Roads were
destroyed (the C-333 and N-340), 30 km of country lanes ruined, 250 ha of cultivated
land were devastated and covered by a layer of debris 2 to 3 m thick.
• Several industries were completely destroyed (Distillery, Gravel pit, etc).
• Creation of a delta over the sea about 200 metres long.

ADMINISTRATION TYPE OF DAMAGES EVALUATION
Devastated land recovery (3.265 has.) 173.638.000
Recovery of irrigation systems 58.000.000
National Institute of
Land Reform and
Development 30 Km of paths destroyed 12.000.000
Conditioning of the road Granada – La Rabita 7.083.000
New road Public Works between La Rabita and Albuñol 100.000.000
Bridge construction 35.000.000
Confederacion Channelling of the Albuñol rambla 450.000.000
Hydrografica del Sur Recovery of irrigation systems 16.000.000
House construction and access conditioning 34.400.000
Building repairs 3.177.000
Repairs in the La Rabita Church 3.165.000
Delegacion de Vivienda
School 30.000.000
Restitution of the electrical layout 4.536.000
Delegacion de Industria
Industries 15.870.000
Delegacion de Education
and Science Child maintenance until school conditioning 14.180.000
Council Structures 1.600.000
TOTAL COST 958.649.000
Table 1. Evaluated damages (in pesetas) caused by the flood event
The catastrophic flood event of 1973 in the Albuñol rambla
329
3 HISTORICAL RECONSTRUCTION
3.1 Damage evaluation
The evaluation of the catastrophic damages elaborated by the Gobierno Civil of Granada (1974) shows the resultant social impact. Table 1 shows the evaluation of the damages made by each participant public organisations.
3.2 Aid organisation during the first days after the catastrophe
Work carried out during the first days of the emergency (Table 2) show the actions needed to be taken in case of similar emergencies and the organisations who are responsible for implementing it.
ACTIONS ORGANISATION
Search and rescue of people Guardia Civil, Army Wounded evacuation to Motril Hospital (10 of a total of 25 seriously ill) Helicópteros ejército S.A.R.
Accommodation and social assistance Delegación Provincial de Acción Social y
Sección Femenina
Victims evacuation to Motril and Adra Cofradía de pescadores (por barco)
Medical assistance Delegación de Salud,
Wreckage clearance and cleaning of village (94
houses destroy)
Guardia Civil, Bomberos, volunteers OJE,
damnificados
Search and identification of mortal victims (46) Guardia Civil, Grupo de submarinistas del Ejercito
Distribution of clothes and first aid equipment Sección Femenina
Food distribution and organisation of a sufferers
dining room Guardia Civil, Sección Femenina
Incineration of dead animals Guardia Civil, volunteers
Provisional electrical installation Army
Repairs of the water supply network Motril City Council
Table 2. Work carried out in the first days after the catastrophe

4 CONDITIONING FACTORS: INTRINSIC BASIN CHARACTERISTICS, HYDROLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSES
The importance of the great volume of material in suspension (see Table 3) as the leading factor of the high river flow reached is conditioned by:
• Basin topography with dominant slopes between 20 and 40 %.
• Poor development of soils with a tendency to slide off a rocky subsoil.
• The use of crops incompatible with the retention of the ground.
• The Flow Basin of the Albuñol rambla lies over metapelitic rocks overlaying
carbonated materials, which outcrop at the base of the Aldayar and Agijón ramblas.
The intense crushing suffered by the materials increase their facility to be altered, therefore they are an important source of solid material for the floods.

330
MORPHOMETRIC
CHARACTERISTICS
HYDRAULIC PARAMETERS
Basin area 116 km2 Maximum flow 2580 m3/s
Relief rate (Rr) 0.088 Liquid flow 1518 m3/s
Weigh slope 423 m/km Solid flow 1062 m3/s
Average slope 30-40% Drained total volume 17 Hm3
Elongation relation (Re) 0.51 Specific flow 13.4 m3/s/km2
Index of circularity (Cc) 0.45 Escorrentia coefficient 0.62
Index of compaction (Ic) 1.39 Stream flow velocity 3.44 m/s
Solids concentration 41% Period of return > 500 years
Index of torrentially 50 Calculated flow for 600
mm precipitation 2831 m3/s
Drainage density 10 km/km2<
Concentration time (Tc) 4
Table 3. Morphometric characteristcs of the basin and hydraulic parameters of the flood
5 MORPHODYNAMIC AND SEDIMENTOLOGICAL RECONSTRUCTION
5.1 Production zone
The production zone is identified by a predominance of erosive landforms (scars of
sliding, landslides and important development of grooves) that occur in the basin. As depositional landforms the solifluction mudflows and the accumulation of fell boulders are frequent.
During the flood in the gauges excavated in limestone (2 to 3 m wide) the water raised tens of metres favouring rock falls that once combined with water multiplied the erosive power.
5.2 Transference zone
The BRAIDED PLAIN covered most of the river valley. The morphological
adjustment of the braided channel to the flood, is changed into a channel surface increment that constitutes the braided plain. This erosive adjustment is produed as a consequence of the great magnitude of river flow and the high energy that had to be dissipated throughout the base of a relatively narrow valley.

The FLOODPLAIN takes up sheltered areas from the principal river flow, producing small terraces in the braided plain margins. The overflow deposit originated by the flood over those terraces was a layer of well graded sand and gravel with silt (10 to 30 cm thick).
On the surface boulders, of 2-4 m diameter, can be seen that have been pulled up from the walls that protect the crops, and transported tens of metres. Linked to the boulders crescent mark structures can be seen.
ALLUVIAL FANS form where streams confined by narrow valleys emerge onto a plain or mayor trunk valley. The development of a small fan in the Barranco de la Mochila opening should be noted, located to the northwest of the La Rabita village, which buried a great amount of houses before going into the sea were it originated a fan delta.
The catastrophic flood event of 1973 in the Albuñol rambla
331
The ACCUMULATION ZONE is formed by a delta which is the result of the
amalgamation of a series of lobes whose growth, during the flood, advanced 200 m into the sea (Figure 1) with a thickness of 4 m in the apical zone.
Two types of deposits can be distinguished:
1) Sheet flow deposits: produced as a consequence of the flow expansion and a fast diminution of the water sheet. They constitute the principal deposit type in the construction of the different deltaic lobes. The development of those is, at the same time, in relation with
the pass of the flow through La Rabita bridge and with the various destruction phases.
2) Overflow deposits: formed when the wall that was protecting La Rabita failed and the fine materials that were in suspension were deposited.
Figure 1. Distribution of erosive and depositional landforms caused by the 1973 flood at the Albuñol delta.
6 CONCLUSIONS
From the study of the 1973 catastrophic flood in La Rabita it can be deduced that the ramblas working system takes a drastic occupation of the valley bed, therefore it is important to take it into account for the territorial ordination of thoseareas looking for the
maintenance of natural conditions.

The areas with high rates of erosion as well as those with a high sedimentation rate (alluvial fans), should be considered as areas with a significant risk, not only for low magnitude floods but also for greater floods.
The risk mapping should be carried out from an analysis estimation of the probable discharge, and bearing in mind the hydraulics and hydrologic characteristics together with the record of deposits.