The wild newborn river took thousands by surprise, tossing cars like toys and toppling buildings near the canal’s normally dry banks, which were widened with jagged edges.
By Joseph Wilson
BARCELONA (AP).— They have passed twelve days since catastrophic floods sudden left a muddy scar through <a href="https://www.world-today-news.com/league-of-nations-spain-achieves-the-perfect-heist-in-germany-the-young-nugget-fati-marks-the-spirits/" title="League of Nations: Spain achieves the perfect heist in Germany, the young nugget Fati marks the spirits”>Valenciaeast of Spain, killing more than 200 people and dirtying the homes of thousands more.
Las apocalyptic scenes documented by the photographers of The Associated Press They speak of the terrifying power of nature unleashed in all its fury.
It was as if a tsunami, instead of being generated in the depths of the ocean and sent crashing onto the shore, had been unleashed by some vengeful god from the sky and swept away sleepy towns and ordinary neighborhoods.
Mud covers a wide area after a storm that left hundreds dead and missing in the region, on Saturday, November 2, 2024, in Paiporta, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain. Photo: Ángel García, AP
The wild newborn river took thousands by surprise, tossing cars like toys and toppling buildings near the canal’s normally dry banks, which were widened with jagged edges.
Survivors say it took just 15 minutes for a drainage canal — which played a crucial role in the disaster — to go from empty to overflowing. Adjacent houses channeled the rushing water to amplify its shock wave. Regional authorities did not alert the population in time, and in some places it did not even rain to put people on alert, which amplified the chaos.
In the later period, the streets seem to have returned to medieval times, covered by layers of mud that hid any glimpse of pavement or cobblestones.
Dolores Merchan, 67, cries while she is helped by volunteers who remove mud from her home, where she has lived her entire life with her husband and three children, and which was seriously affected by floods, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, in Massanassa, Valencia, Spain. Photo: Emilio Morenatti, AP
Everything on the ground floor turned to rubbish in a matter of minutes as water burst into homes. Furniture, clothes, toys, photos, relics… nothing was saved.
The feeling of abandonment of many residents turned into anger, expressed by throwing mud at King Felipe VI and the President of the Government Pedro Sánchez, when they visited the devastated area.
All feet covered in mud, in the sticky brown dirt that, after days, continues to ooze from ruined homes and shops, no matter how much is removed with shovels and brooms.
Three mannequins lie partially submerged in mud in an area affected by floods, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Masanasa, Valencia, Spain. Photo: Emilio Morenatti, AP
Military helicopters fly over the area, which has been called “ground zero” for the October 29 floods.
The search now continues for the missing. Rescuers drive poles into the mud banks in the hope of finding and recovering the bodies of the dead.
But it is also possible to find human generosity in the midst of despair.
Several people remove mud from a street in an area affected by floods, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Catarroja, Spain. Photo: Manu Fernández, AP
While thousands of soldiers and police reinforcements remove the countless destroyed cars, it is the people themselves, residents, neighbors and volunteers, who arrive on foot to support.
Strangers who help those in need by sinking into the mud, and with each shovelful they inch toward distant renewal.
A sign on a wall at a retirement center reads: “Goodbye, Mom. We couldn’t get there on time. Sorry”, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, after flooding in Picanya, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain. Photo: Alberto Saiz, AP A pair of volunteers walk hand in hand through a muddy street, Thursday, November 7, 2024, in a flooded area in Masanasa, Valencia, Spain. Photo: Emilio Morenatti, AP Vero Almarche, 36, right, hugs her neighbor María Muñoz, 74, who was born in the house in which they were photographed and which was destroyed by floods, on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, in Masanasa, Valencia, Spain. Photo: Emilio Morenatti, AP Tania hugs her brother-in-law Baruc after rescuing some of his belongings from their flooded house, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain. Photo: Emilio Morenatti, AP Elements of the Civil Guard walk in a flooded parking lot to examine cars in search of bodies, on Monday, November 4, 2024, in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain. Photo: Alberto Saiz, AP A man walks through a flooded cemetery on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, on Friday, November 1, 2024, following flooding in the region. Photo: Alberto Saiz, AP King Felipe VI is protected by security elements after an angry crowd threw mud and insulted the monarch and other government officials when they made their first visit to one of the towns most affected by floods, on Sunday 3 November 2024, in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain. Photo: Hugo Torres, AP Vehicles pile up in the streets after flooding caused by a storm that left hundreds dead or missing, on Saturday, November 2, 2024, in Alfafar, Valencia region, Spain. Photo: Ángel García, AP This image from Wednesday, November 6, 2024 shows a chapel inside a cemetery damaged by floods, in Alfafar, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain. Photo: Alberto Saiz, AP Gloves and cleaning utensils hang in a window during the cleaning work after the passage of floods, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, in a house in Masanasa, Valencia, Spain. Photo: Emilio Morenatti, AP Volunteers return on Saturday, November 2, 2024 after helping affected municipalities, four days after flash floods swept away everything in their path, in the town of Paiporta, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain. Photo: Ángel García, AP Volunteers and residents remove mud four days after flash floods caused extensive damage, on Saturday, November 2, 2024, in Paiporta, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain. Photo: Ángel García, AP. Three young people who have been working to clean up the damage caused by floods attend mass at the church of San Jorge, Thursday, November 7, 2024, in Paiporta, Spain. Photo: Alberto Saiz, AP General view of an area affected by floods, Friday, November 1, 2024, in Chiva, Spain. Photo: Manu Fernández, AP Several shovels lie leaning against a wall during a cleaning operation on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, after flooding in Masanasa, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain. Photo: Alberto Saiz, AP
