Last autumn Valencia region faced a non-stop rain that brought years worth of water in just 8 hrs. The disaster left 158 dead making it Spainʼs deadliest flood event since the mid-20th century
In the cityʼs La Torre district Maria Jose Catala reported a tragic discovery: eight people (including a local cop) got trapped in an underground garage; while a 45-yr old woman was found in her home. Many locals had to cross the Turia river on foot to get basic supplies
Right now the most important thing is to safeguard as many lives as possible
The floods impact stretched far beyond human loss:
- High-speed train links cut-off between Madrid and Valencia
- About 80km of roads blocked or destroyed
- Two-thirds of Spainʼs citrus farms damaged
- Bridges and rail tracks swept away
A local resident Antonio Molina survived by holding onto his neighbors porch pillar as water reached his neck – its his third flood since 18. The transport minister Oscar Puente said it would take about 2-3 weeks to fix train connections
Scientists from Climate Central linked the disaster to warmer-than-usual Atlantic waters; their research shows climate change made such conditions 50 to 300 times more likely. Similar disasters happened in Germany about 3 yrs ago killing 185 people
Local officials criticized Madridʼs slow response time. Laura Villaescusa a store manager stated: people wouldnt have died if warned earlier. The Interior Ministry pushed back saying regional authorities were in charge of protection measures