Many are calling eastern Spain’s recent flash flooding the country’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory. Heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday swelled rivers. Vehicles tumbled down streets in the muddy torrents while household items swirled in the water. More than 200 people lost their lives. Many more may be missing.
Piles of vehicles and debris still block some streets, in some cases trapping residents in their homes. Many still don’t have electricity, running water, or stable telephone connections.
The town of Chiva received more rain in eight hours on Tuesday than it had in the preceding 20 months. Water overflowed a gully that crosses the town. It tore up roads and walls of houses.
Emilio Cuartero is a resident of Masanas, on the outskirts of Valencia. “The situation is unbelievable. It’s a disaster and there is very little help,” he says. “We need machinery, cranes, so that the sites can be accessed.”
The tragedy also unleashed a wave of local solidarity. Residents in communities like Paiporta and Catarroja have been walking miles in sticky mud to Valencia to get supplies. They pass neighbors from unaffected areas who are bringing water, essential products, and shovels or brooms for clearing debris.
So many people are coming to help that the authorities have asked them not to drive there. They block roads needed by emergency services. Associations like the Red Cross and town councils are distributing food.
Regional authorities said late Wednesday that rescuers in helicopters saved some 70 people stranded on rooftops and in cars. Ground crews are still at work.
“We are searching house by house,” Ángel Martínez told Spain’s national radio. He is one of 1,000 soldiers helping with rescue efforts.
Social networks display the needs of those affected. Some folks posted images of missing people, hoping to find information about their whereabouts. Others launched initiatives such as Suport Mutu (Mutual Support), which connects requests for help with people who are offering it. Others organized collections of basic goods throughout all the country or held fundraisers.
Heavy rains and flooding ruined greenhouses and farms across southern Spain. The area is known as Europe’s garden for its exported produce.
Authorities warn residents to expect more storms. The Spanish weather agency issued alerts for strong rains in Tarragona, Catalonia, as well as part of the Balearic Islands.
Spain’s Mediterranean coast is used to autumn storms that can cause flooding. But the recent violent weather surprised regional government officials.
Spain has suffered through an almost two-year drought. That made the flooding worse because the dry ground was so hard that it could not absorb the rain.
Ask God to comfort those who are experiencing loss because of the floods.
You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land. — Deuteronomy 15:11
