Spain floods: Devastated towns face apocalyptic aftermath
There was no warning, say the residents of the town of Paiporta located in the province of Valencia. Here, at least 62 people have died due to the floods. "It's like a zombie apocalypse you see in films," assess the flood victims, quoted by The Guardian.
Many municipalities in the Valencian community - the part of Spain most affected by the flood - are without drinking water, and about 100,000 people have no electricity, reports the newspaper El Mundo. Transport in the province is paralysed; access roads are still closed, and the authorities recommend not using any roads in the province. The high-speed rail connection with Madrid is expected to be resumed in a few days at the earliest.
This is the most serious natural disaster in Spain since 1973, when heavy rains devastated several cities in Murcia and Andalusia in the south of the country, leading to the deaths of nearly 300 people, reminds El Mundo.
One of the destroyed places is the city of Paiporta, which has a population of over 24,000. Here, according to The Guardian, 62 people have died. The residents themselves are furious because, in their opinion, there was no official warning about the impending disaster.
Floods in Spain
- Everything is destroyed. It's like a zombie apocalypse you see in films, said Cardona Teruel in a phone interview with the newspaper, a resident of Paiporta, who set off on foot to Valencia with his wife and daughter.
- There was no warning, confirmed the city's mayor Maribel Albalat. The local authorities claim that no prior information was given that the approaching storm would be much stronger than usual. In fear of flooding their garages, residents went downstairs to get their cars to park them higher. That’s where the flood wave hit them. Lourdes María García and her three-month-old child died there. Her partner was in the car, who got out to pull the family out and move them to a safe place. The current swept the man away.
In a local care home, the flood hit while residents were having lunch. Videos posted online showed them screaming as water invaded inside, and staff frantically waded knee-deep to move the residents to higher floors. Although most were saved, six people died, reads the report from The Guardian.
Since Thursday, Spain has been under three days of mourning, declared the day before by the government of Pedro Sanchez. The Prime Minister, like the leader of the opposition People's Party (PP) Alberto Nunez Feijoo, is heading on Thursday to the crisis coordination centre in Valencia.
