{"id":26272,"date":"2017-02-22T19:02:33","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T19:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ourtour.co.uk\/home\/?p=26272"},"modified":"2019-04-11T17:08:45","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T16:08:45","slug":"flash-flood-in-abaynou-guelmim-morocco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourtour.co.uk\/home\/flash-flood-in-abaynou-guelmim-morocco\/","title":{"rendered":"Flash Flood in Abaynou, Guelmim, Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zagan the motorhome’s still in\u00a0Camping de la Vall\u00e9e\u00a0near Abaynou (N29.11414, W10.019896<\/a>), and is likely to be for a while! Three sections of the mud-and-stone piste<\/em> road here, the only way in and out, were washed away by a flash flood last night. Phil and Jules, up at Tafraoute, are also looking at an entrance road which has been turned into a river, and have met some British folks up there who were stuck at\u00a0Camping de la Vall\u00e9e for three weeks after a similar event. We’re safe, no-one’s been hurt, the weather forecast is for days of baking sun and we have a massive food stash in here. Yep, after years of berating Ju for having too much food in the van, I’m now eating humble pie!<\/p>\n

\"The

The road out of Camping de La Vallee – no longer passable…<\/p><\/div>\n

Last night I had a climb up the hillside to the eastern side of the valley, to get a look at the campsite from above. Scrabbling about on the loose rocky surface, aware of the fact a slip could result in a yowl and a cactus-stuck backside, I was trying to make it up and back in a break in the rain. It had steadily rained all day, nothing dramatic, but enough to have me pondering the wisdom of taking an umbrella up an exposed hillside.<\/p>\n

\"Abaynou

Abaynou to the south of us at the entrance to the valley. We can’t currently get there.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Camping

Camping de la Vallee from above<\/p><\/div>\n

Last night Peter and Elaine came round for a chat and I ate my bodyweight in salted nuts, again, as we set the world to rights. During the night the rain seriously hammered down, waking us up but I didn’t think much of it. This morning, still under steady rain, we had a lie in. I finally made my way up to the showers about 9:30am, wondering about the low water pressure today, and when I walked back to the van I noticed a collection of folks at the gate, looking out at this scene.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Trouble\"<\/p>\n

We didn’t know it, but during the night a flash flood had stoked the river up to the point it chewed through the road at the campsite entrance. Later on we found it had cut through the piste in two other places, creating gaps in the road about ten metres wide and a meter or so deep. The van caught in the flood belongs to an elderly French couple who’d attempted to drive through the flood waters at about 6am, but clearly not making it. With the water a metre up one side of the van, they had to be rescued with a rope.<\/p>\n

\"The

The road back to Abaynou<\/p><\/div>\n

\"No-one's

No-one’s hurt, so we’re in good spirits in here. Peter and Elaine are even more chilled about the whole thing than we are<\/p><\/div>\n