The national weather forecast agency of Spain has raised a red weather alert in certain areas of Andalucía, to remain until Friday morning, following the surge in death number to 158 from the recent flash floods. The floods have caused destruction in the coastal region of Valencia, along with surrounding regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Andalucía during Tuesday and Wednesday.
The red alert, issued by Aemet, is still effective in the Huelva region of Andalucía, and points out that the overnight accumulated precipitation peaked at 140 mm. In the meantime, rescue personnel persist in their search for numerous individuals who are unaccounted for.
Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister, made clear on Thursday that the foremost concern is locating the victims and alleviating the suffering of their families. The afflicted regions have been declared disaster areas by his administration, expediting the provision of assistance.
Large parts of Valencia are still laden with mud, debris and flipped vehicles stacked upon one another. Essential resources like drinking water are in short supply in certain areas, with thousands of homes still missing electricity. Roughly 150 roads are still obstructed and the rail services continue to struggle. The authorities have stated that the high-speed rail connection from Madrid to Valencia will remain inactive for the next two to three weeks.
Among the recent casualties reported, eight people from the town of La Torre were found dead in a garage, unable to escape the flood water. There have been complaints from locals of the severely affected areas about the insufficient aid from the authorities.
Juan Ramón Adsuara, the mayor of Alfafar, reported to local press that there are residents in the town cohabitating with corpses in their houses. “Emergency services are yet to reach our town”, he told, adding, “We are trying to manage but resources are dwindling”.
On Wednesday evening, numerous stores were broken into with 39 individuals being apprehended in the process. One woman in Paiporta, caught in the act and laden with items, expressed to Spanish television her frustration, explaining that with no information or assistance coming their way, they felt compelled to take their provisions from the supermarket. The town of Paiporta is now representative of the devastation, with 45 fatalities reported and ongoing struggles due to flood damages.
There exists a considerable amount of dissatisfaction in Valencia directed towards the governing body of the region. The administration is being condemned for a delayed weather warning. In truth, an alert notification was dispatched to local residents on Tuesday evening, at a point when the flood waters had already begun to swell. By following Thursday, the rainfall had moved along to the south-west region, leading to the hurried evacuation of 300 families from their residences in Jerez, due to the escalating water levels in the Guadalete River.