Spanish media reports that the situation in eastern Spain, which was hit by heavy floods a month ago, is still critical. They speculate that some cities still resemble battle scenes.
Although piles of destroyed cars and furniture no longer block Valencia's streets, “the situation in many municipalities is still dire,” reports the ABC Madrid newspaper. According to official estimates, 222 people have been killed and four are missing in the province of Valencia alone. The floods destroyed about 120,000 cars and over 1,600 vehicles. the houses are unusable.
Some cities still resemble war scenes
“Despite mobilized aid, some flood-hit cities still resemble war scenes,” writes the ABC newspaper. As he points out, the biggest threats to residents right now are mold and dampness. In Valencia, thousands of children are still out of school and many businesses and shops are closed. As the newspaper “La Vanguardia” reports, local authorities are afraid of premature withdrawal of aid and call for speeding up the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure and houses. “Restoring destroyed cities to their pre-disaster condition is the worst thing we can do,” warned Annelies Bruckman, a researcher at the Center for Environmental Research and Forestry Programs (CREAF), quoted by El Mundo newspaper. According to him, the reconstruction should be done taking into account the updated flood risk map. Pedro Sánchez's government has so far announced three aid packages for the victims, totaling around 17 billion euros. On Friday, the Ministry of Labor announced the introduction of four days of paid leave in case of extreme weather conditions. – The floods in Spain were an example of the death of climate change, Prime Minister Sanchez said at the COP29 climate summit held in Azerbaijan in mid-November.
The cause of the flood
The severe storms, floods and floods that occurred in Spain are the result of an atmospheric phenomenon called DANA (depression alasada en niveles altos). It is formed when cold air meets warm, wet air in the Mediterranean Sea. This leads to extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods.
The term DANA was coined at the beginning of the 21st century. In the past, the heavy periodic rainfall characteristic of the Mediterranean climate was called “gota fria”, which means “cold front” in Spanish.
Flooding in Spain
Information board at Chamartin train station in Madrid. Many connections between Madrid and Valencia were canceled due to flooding PAP/EPA/FERNANDO VILLARDWrecked cars amid floods in the municipality of Sedavi, Valencia province | PAP/EPA/MIGUEL ANGEL POLO Members of the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish Parliament observed a minute of silence in memory of the flood victims | PAP/EPA/Chema MoyaWrecked cars after floods in Valencia Alex Juarez / Anadolu/ABACAPRESS.COM/PAPU Wrecked cars after floods in Valencia | Robert Solsona/Europa Press/ABACAPRESS.COM/PAPCa A boy stands in front of his flood-damaged furniture in Manasa, Valencia province | PAP/EPA/Kai Forsterling Search continues for people missing after floods in Spain | PAP/EPA/MANUEL BRUQUEDWrecked cars in Alfafar, Valencia province PAP/EPA/RAQUEL SEGURAM Residents and volunteers clean the streets of Paiporta, Valencia province | PAP/EPA/Biel Alino An overturned car in the municipality of Sedavi, Valencia province PAP/EPA/MIGUEL ANGEL POLO Railway lines and wrecked cars are scattered like toys in Valencia | MANUEL BRUQUE/PAP/EPA A swollen river in the municipality of Sollana, province of Valencia PAP/EPA/MANUEL BRUQUERResidents walk down a muddy road in the municipality of Sedavi in the province of Valencia | PAP/EPA/MIGUEL Angel POL Damaged cars on the street in Alfafar commune, Valencia province | PAP/EPA/MIGUEL ANGEL POLOR Rescuers search for missing people in the rubble in the commune of Letur, province of Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha | PAP/EPA/MANUKa woman mourns loved ones lost in floods | PAP/EPA/ALVARO DEL OLMODemolished apartment in the commune of Mira, province of Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha | PAP/EPA/ALVARO DEL OLMOS Old man drowned in Lake Albufera, Valencia province | PAP/EPA/MANUEL BRUQUE Information board at Chamartin train station in Madrid. Many connections between Madrid and Valencia were canceled due to flooding PAP/EPA/FERNANDO VILLARDWrecked cars amid floods in the municipality of Sedavi, Valencia province | PAP/EPA/MIGUEL ANGEL POLO Members of the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish Parliament observed a minute of silence in memory of the flood victims. PAP/EPA/Chema MoyaWrecked cars after floods in Valencia | Alex Juarez / Anadolu/ABACAPRESS.COM/PAPU Wrecked cars after floods in Valencia | Robert Solsona/Europa Press/ABACAPRESS.COM/PAPCa A boy stands in front of his flood-damaged furniture in Manasa, Valencia province | PAP/EPA/Kai Forsterling
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/BIEL ALINO
