A Spanish island beloved by British holidaymakers is continuing to deal with the aftermath of heavy rain that struck earlier this month, forcing a number of hotels to shut. Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa, was hit by a downpour nearly two weeks ago, unleashing devastating floods in some areas.

A state of emergency was declared on the island on Saturday, April 12, following flash floods that inundated homes and tourist hotspots. It prompted the UK Foreign Office to issue a travel warning the following day for those planning trips to Costa Teguise, San Bartolomé, and Arrecife.

It resulted in power outages and several flights being cancelled.

Some popular tourist destinations are still dealing with knock-on effects. The municipalities of Teguise and Arrecife were particularly affected, with streets in areas like Costa Teguise, Tahíche, Nazaret, and Teseguite still seeing dust created by dried mud, as per Canarian Weekly.

The wind is now said to be carrying the buildup of dust, with fears that it could cause breathing problems and irritation to the eyes and throat, the outlet reports.

Meanwhile, in the island’s capital city, Arrecife also saw overflowing drains, which brought the stench of raw sewage in the streets and also sparked health concerns.

Work by local authorities and cleaning teams to address the fall out and clear debris is ongoing. But because the damage was widespread progress has been slow, Canarian Weekly reports.

Multiple hotels in Costa Teguise have reportedly been forced to pull down the shutters on a temporary basis using furlough schemes that supported Spaniards during the Covid pandemic, with flooding damaging properties and curtailing normal operations.

According to the outlet, The Meliá Hotel anounced it would be temporarily laying off staff for six to seven weeks, though some would be moved to the Sol Lanzarote Hotel.

Meanwhile, the hotel chain H10 Hotels has activated a temporary redundancy programme (ETOP), which is expected to be in place for around a few months. The firm is carrying out renovations in the meantime.

In addition, the Trébol Apartments have activated a six-to-seven-week ERTE, a labour procedure that allows firms to suspend or reduce the contractual relationship with their workers for a specific time, as per ETL Global.

Other hotels are said to be gradually returning to normal operations. The state of emergency was lifted the morning after it was activated.

The Canary Islands enjoy a subtropical climate with warm temperatures throughout the year.

But though it is often very dry during the summer months, it also sees mild winters, which can be accompanied by more stormy conditions and heavier rain, as per ChronicleLive.

The islands are particularly vulnerable due to their dry climate and volcanic rock, which struggles to absorb water in large volumes.