Valencia's devastating flood: A disaster on a historic scale
Devastated homes, and a lack of water and electricity. Grocery stores are out of stock. Public transportation is not operating, and roads are closed. An industrial zone near Valencia is destroyed. The flood in Spain has already killed 95 people.
According to the newspaper El Mundo, many municipalities in the Valencian community—the area most affected by the flood in Spain—are without drinking water, and approximately 100,000 people are without electricity. Transport in the province is paralyzed; access roads remain closed, and authorities advise against travelling on any roads there. The high-speed train connection with Madrid will resume in a few days.
According to witnesses in towns destroyed by the flood, conditions are very difficult. Towns outside the city suffered the most. The industrial zone is completely destroyed. Another report speaks of empty shelves in stores. Grocery stores lack basic products.
Firefighters and the military are working to clean up cities destroyed by flash floods. Photos published online showed dozens of piled-up and destroyed cars that were carried away and left behind by the raging water.
The number of victims is growing
This is the most severe natural disaster in Spain since 1973, when heavy rains devastated several cities in Murcia and Andalusia in the south of the country, leading to the deaths of about 300 people, recalls the newspaper "El Mundo."
According to the latest data, at least 95 people have lost their lives—92 fatalities were recorded in the province of Valencia, two in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, and one in Andalusia.
In eastern Spain, especially in the province of Valencia, searches continue for missing persons after the violent floods that struck this part of the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, causing nearly 100 fatalities. A national mourning has been declared across the country.
The number of victims is expected to rise, as many people are still missing. Searches for five such people have resumed in the town of Letur in the province of Albacete (Castilla-La Mancha), one of the places most affected by the disaster. About 150 people, with the help of a helicopter, drones, and dogs, are involved in the operation.
Blaming the authorities
Spanish media reports that residents of regions affected by the floods accuse the authorities of failing to warn them about the danger in time.
Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Interior Minister, on Thursday blamed the delayed storm warnings on the Valencia community government's authorities. According to him, regional authorities were responsible, just like in previous crisis situations.
The current severe storms and floods result from a weather phenomenon known in Spain as DANA (depresión aislada en niveles altos). It occurs when cold air meets warm and humid air over the Mediterranean Sea, creating atmospheric instability and extreme weather events such as storms, tornadoes, and floods.
Mourning in the country
Since Thursday, Spain has observed a three-day mourning period declared by Pedro Sanchez's government the previous day. The Prime Minister, along with the opposition People's Party (PP) leader, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, is heading to the crisis coordination centre in Valencia on Thursday.
Various European countries are sending condolences and promises of support to Spain. European Union representatives have also pledged assistance. The press reports that the king of nearby Morocco, Mohamed VI, has sent condolences to the Spanish royal couple and government.
On Thursday, the national meteorological agency (AEMET) warned that intense storms still occur in regions including Catalonia and northern Valencia, with orange weather alerts in effect. The alert has been raised to red in Castellon in Valencia, where floods and inundations occurred on Thursday morning.
Storms and heavy rain are also expected to hit western Andalusia, Extremadura, the western part of Castilla and León, southern Galicia, and the Balearic Islands.
