Storm Therese: Final Toll — 10 Million Euros in Damage, 1,783 Emergency Calls, an Island in Crisis

After six days of relentless rain, landslides and evacuations, Storm Therese has finally left the Canary Islands. What remains is a trail of destruction across the entire archipelago — and a damage report that dwarfs any previous March storm on record.

The numbers: Historic on every count

The 112 Canarias emergency coordination centre logged a total of 1,783 incidents during the storm. Multiple weather stations on Gran Canaria recorded over 700 litres per square metre in just six days. On Tuesday 24 March alone, Bañaderos saw 153 l/m² in a matter of hours — a reading that triggered the deployment of Spain's Military Emergency Unit (UME). At peak, 32 reservoirs had to release water simultaneously to prevent overflows.

50 schools damaged: Over 10 million euros

A preliminary report by the Directorate for Infrastructure and Equipment puts the damage to educational facilities at over 10 million euros. Around 50 schools, secondary schools and vocational training centres are affected — 24 on Gran Canaria, 17 on Tenerife, the rest on Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and the western islands. Several schools had to suspend in-person classes through Friday.

Miller Bajo: €460,000 for a retaining wall

In the Miller Bajo neighbourhood of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 11 residents of an apartment building on Calle Nicolás Monche López were evacuated after a retaining wall developed alarming cracks — up to 15 centimetres of displacement. Under an emergency decree, the city awarded the repair contract to Derribo y Excavaciones Kiko: estimated cost €460,000, construction time three months. Work began on Friday.

La Palma: 75 per cent of fruit harvest wiped out

While Gran Canaria suffered the worst infrastructure damage, La Palma took the heaviest agricultural hit. Around 75 per cent of the fruit harvest in affected areas was destroyed by torrential rain and wind — a severe blow for an island still recovering from the 2021 volcanic eruption.

Political battle: PP demands immediate aid from Madrid

At the Cabildo plenary session on 27 March, the PP faction tabled an urgent motion demanding that the central government in Madrid approve the announced emergency funds as quickly as possible and add direct aid for affected citizens. The party pointed to the years-long delays in volcano relief for La Palma as a cautionary tale. Spain's government had previously announced it would declare the Canary Islands a disaster zone at the earliest opportunity.

Morales criticises UME deployment protocol

Cabildo president Antonio Morales used the crisis to raise a fundamental issue: current regulations only allow island governments to request the UME once the emergency has escalated to Level 2 and the regional government has taken over coordination. The Canary Islands Federation of Islands (Fecai) considers this a mainland-centric rule that does not reflect the reality of an archipelago. Morales called for a legislative change at national level.

State of emergency lifted, landslide warning remains

On Wednesday, the state of emergency for Gran Canaria was lifted, with La Gomera following on Thursday as the last island. However, the Cabildo of Gran Canaria maintained the landslide warning: the completely waterlogged soil, particularly on slopes, remains unstable. President Morales urged residents not to drive into the island's interior. Fifteen roads remain closed.

Drag Gala and Cabalgata: Carnival defies the storm

Not everything was lost: the Drag Gala of the Carnaval Internacional de Maspalomas, postponed due to Therese, took place on Wednesday 26 March. The carnival dog competition (Carnaval Canino), however, was permanently cancelled.

What comes next?

The coming days will show how quickly Madrid formalises the disaster declaration. For schools, a race against time begins: in-person classes are to resume as soon as possible. And in Miller Bajo, 11 families are waiting to return to their homes.