They blame a lack of forecast against floods // There are people who are living with their corpses at home // They report looting in stores, houses and buildings
▲ Elements of the Civil Guard transport a victim of the floods in Valencia.Photo Ap
Armando G. Tejeda
Correspondent
La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, November 1, 2024, p. 20
Madrid. Emergency services continued the search for the missing in Spain yesterday, as many wondered what caused the devastating flash floods that claimed the lives of at least 158 people.
The destructive weather system is believed to be worsening in the wake of climate change, building up to this week’s flash flooding, which is the worst the region has seen in three decades. The effectiveness of flood defenses in the areas has also been questioned.
Starting this Friday, the Spanish army will deploy more than 1,020 soldiers to locate the dozens of missing people and help the hundreds of thousands of victims.
The president of the government, Pedro Sánchez, of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, visited the area and announced the mobilization of all possible resources. will also declare disaster zone in the region to resolve as soon as possible the lack of electricity, which continues to affect some 80 thousand people, and to rebuild communication routes.
The state meteorological agency Aemet stated that Valencia experienced the most adverse cold drop of the century. It is not possible for air and sea temperatures to increase and everything else remain the samesaid an agency spokesperson.
The first arrivals
This phenomenon, also known as isolated upper-level atmospheric depression (ALD), has occurred for many years on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, but scientists believe that climate change is making it increasingly worse.
The first to arrive with food, water and medical equipment to towns like Alfafar, Paiporta and Chiva were the residents of nearby towns or the city of Valencia.
The situation was so dramatic that the largest prison, Picassent, opened its doors to the inhabitants to take refuge within its walls. Rescue services have found several deceased people inside their vehicles.
The mayor of the town of Alfafar, Juan Ramón Adsuara, assured that We have not seen a fire truck in days, nor the Military Emergency Unit, nor the Civil Guard and there are people who are living with their corpses at home. Looting and robberies have also been reported in shops, houses and buildings. The prosecution arrested 39 and ordered provisional detention of all those who committed this crime.
The region’s civil protection service warned residents not to leave their homes until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, too late for those already stuck on the roads.
In the region of Catalonia, an alert was issued for the city of Tarragona, where meteorologists warned that torrential rains would fall, while in the municipality of Jerez, 300 families were evicted due to the flooding of the Guadalete River, as confirmed by Cádiz authorities.
