Rescue teams ventured into flooded garages to search for victims from Spain’s deadliest floods in a generation, as renewed rainfall led to transport disruptions in the northeastern region of Catalonia.
Currently, the death toll stands at 217 – predominantly in the eastern Valencia region. Authorities are bracing for the possibility of discovering more bodies, as a number of individuals are still unaccounted for.
The national meteorological agency AEMET has declared the end of the emergency situation for Valencia, but heavy rains have hit Catalonia, where residents were alerted via phone to exercise extreme caution.
Barcelona’s El Prat airport, the country’s second busiest, reported that 50 flights were either cancelled or delayed, with 17 being diverted this morning. Additionally, several flooded metro stations were closed, and regional train services were halted.
Police officers assist in clearing mud from the streets of Alfafar.
Spain is also dealing with the aftermath of significant public outrage, as crowds heckled and threw mud at King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The Civil Guard has launched an investigation into the turmoil in the ground-zero town of Paiporta, which cut their visit short on Sunday, as stated by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska during an interview with public broadcaster TVE.
He attributed the violence to “marginal groups,” which resulted in mud being thrown at the royal couple and even damaged a window of Mr. Sánchez’s vehicle.
‘We felt abandoned’
The outburst highlighted the growing frustration regarding the authorities’ preparedness and response to the disaster.
Experts have raised concerns about the warning systems that failed to properly inform the public in a timely manner, as well as the sluggishness of the response.
“They were issuing a ‘water alert,’ but they should have declared it a flood,” said Teresa Gisbert, 62, in the devastated town of Sedavi, noting she had “lost everything.”
Thousands of soldiers, police officers, civil guards, and firefighters are on their sixth day of distributing aid and clearing away mud and debris in search of the missing.
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However, aid efforts only reached some communities days after the disaster struck, and many times, volunteers were the first to provide essential supplies such as food, water, sanitation, and cleaning equipment.
“Let’s not romanticise the situation: the people saved the people because we were left to fend for ourselves,” stated Jorge, 25, a resident of Chiva, where the royals’ visit was cancelled on Sunday.
Divers have focused their search for missing individuals in garages and a multi-storey car park in Aldaia.
The storm caught many victims while they were in their vehicles on roads as well as in underground areas like parking garages, tunnels, and basements, making rescue operations particularly challenging.
Local authorities in Valencia have extended travel restrictions for an additional two days, halted classes, and requested that residents work from home to aid the emergency services.
‘Consequences of inaction’
The previously unified response across Spain’s polarized political landscape began to weaken as scrutiny turned towards those responsible for managing the crisis.
The far-right party Vox criticized Spain’s “failed” state, attributing the sluggish troop deployment to Mr. Sánchez and accusing him of undermining volunteers. Meanwhile, the hard-left Podemos party has called for the resignation of Carlos Mazon, the conservative leader of the Valencia region.
Mr. Sánchez has remarked that now is not the appropriate moment for assessing the management of the disaster as urgent rescue and recovery operations continue.
The primary opposition party, the Popular Party, has urged the left-wing government to escalate their response by declaring a national emergency and sanctioning aid packages for affected citizens.
Storms originating from the Mediterranean are typical during this time of year; however, scientists have cautioned that human-induced climate change is exacerbating the intensity, duration, and frequency of severe weather events.
“Politicians have failed to take action on climate change, and now we are facing the repercussions of their inaction,” said environmental activist Emi, 21, speaking to AFP in Chiva.
Read more: People are angry at ‘apocalyptic’ scenes, says Irish woman in Valencia. Before and after satellite images show Spain’s devastation. Destruction in Valencia highlights the dangers of a climate emergency.
