228 dead in Spain’s worst storm of the century
A mounted police officer tries to calm down the residents of Paiporta, who are outraged by the official visit of political representatives and the King and Queen of Spain, who were greeted with shouts of “get out” and mud throwing.
A Civil Guard officer searches for survivors inside a car trapped under the foundations of a building under construction in Paiporta, Valencia.
Volunteers clean a muddy street in the municipality of Paiporta, Valencia, Spain. The wave of solidarity from thousands of anonymous volunteers armed with buckets, shovels, and brooms to clean up the mud was a crucial help for residents in the areas affected by the floods.
A resident rests in one of the streets affected by the storm in Paiporta
On October 29, 2024, Spain suffered one of the worst floods in its history, with more than 228 fatalities.
Towns in the province of Valencia woke up covered in mud and debris. Bridges, roads, and railway lines were destroyed, and thousands of cars were swept away by the torrent of water.
In the most affected areas, rainfall of between 400 and 500 liters per square meter was recorded in just a few hours, causing severe flooding, loss of life, and incalculable material and environmental damage.
The alert system that was supposed to inform citizens of the storm threat reached their cell phones when many were already fighting for their lives and beginning to say goodbye to their families. Hundreds of people spent the night on top of trucks or cars, climbing onto the roofs of stores or gas stations, or trapped in their vehicles on congested roads until they were rescued.
Neighbors and volunteers got covered in mud up to their necks every day in an attempt to alleviate the damage caused by the storm, while rescue teams tried to locate the missing and identify the bodies of the victims. However, complaints about the lack of help from official teams and feelings of abandonment by the institutions grew.
Amid this natural disaster and tense atmosphere, tensions erupted with the visit of political representatives and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to Paiporta, the ground zero of the disaster. Amid boos and insults, neighbors and volunteers threw objects and mud at the political representatives and Spanish royalty.
The magnitude of the storm has left behind staggering figures. In addition to the fatalities, some 75,000 homes and 15,700 businesses were flooded. More than 130,000 vehicles were destroyed, contributing to the collapse of bridges and footbridges in many places. Schools and health centers were also devastated. In terms of environmental disaster, the two green lungs and shields against the effects of global warming in the Mediterranean area have been affected: the Túria Natural Park and the Albufera Natural Park.
In contrast to so much misfortune, there has been a wave of solidarity from thousands of anonymous volunteers armed with buckets, shovels, and brooms on their way to the mud. This crucial help has come from the falsely named “crystal generation” in an area where shock still persists.
