By Fiona Espinoza-Castro
Staff Writer
Southern and eastern Spain, including cities such as Murcia, Malaga and Valencia, were hit by intense rainfall beginning on Oct. 29, accumulating to a month’s worth of rain. As the rainfall built up, it escalated from a calm storm to flash floods that swept everything in its path.
Time Magazine reported that the rain centered around the Magro and Turia river basins, and even in the Poyo riverbed, caused water to overflow the riverbanks. Several survivors recounted an error in a drainage canal; it took 15 minutes for it to overflow, which led to a disastrous aftermath.
According to France 24, cars piled on one another, trees were uprooted, power lines were destroyed and household items were scattered throughout the Barrio de la Torre.
According to the New York Times, the vast majority of the deaths were located in Valencia, a popular tourist destination. ABC News reported that at least 219 people were pronounced dead and 93 others were classified as missing. Of those, 211 deaths occurred in Valencia, while seven were reported in Castilla La Mancha and one death in the southern part of Andalusia.
The estimated cost of damage is reportedly in the billions. Although the entire extent of the damage is unknown, it is said that the Consortium for Insurance Compensation will spend $3.8 billion in compensation for insurance claims, according to ABC News.
One family in the Valencia region captured the attention of the media and the rest of the world. Victor and Marta Matias, parents to two young children, Izan and Ruben, had gone through their normal routine, but when the storm arrived, it changed their lives forever.
The family’s next-door neighbor, Jonathan Perez, said that during the storm, parked trucks were swept up and smashed against the Matias family home, causing water to pour in. This led Victor to try to grasp his children, but he lost his grip and they were torn from him. According to BBC, the children are known as “Los ninos desaparecidos,” or “the missing children,” as search efforts continue.
The public is struggling with why this disaster occurred — and it can be traced back to climate change. Climate scientists and meteorologists found that the cause behind this tragedy was a “cut-off lower-pressure storm system that migrated from an unusually wavy and stalled jet stream,” as reported by Time magazine.
The system known as Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos, or DANA, is familiar to meteorologists in Spain. It occurs when cold air blows over Mediterranean waters, causing hot air to rise quickly and form dense clouds that remain over one area for countless hours, as reported by meteorologists in Reuters.
Much of the criticism and high death toll is because the Valencian government failed attempts to issue timely alerts. According to Andalou Ajansi, the government issued alerts after the worst of the floods had already happened which led to many victims getting caught in the storm’s rapids. Protestors have also highlighted the slow response in providing aid, with some towns isolated for days before they received any assistance.
Despite this tragedy, various volunteers, troops and police came together for rescue operations. According to ABC News, one operation included 8,000 soldiers and 9,200 police officers from all over Spain.
Ordinary citizens also volunteered to assist in cleanup efforts. Within the first week, ABC New reported that authorities had fixed the electricity of 147,000 homes and distributed 178,000 bottles to areas in need.
