Three days of mourning declared as floods cause devastation in Valencia

Spain has declared three days of mourning, following the aftermath of the flash floods in the Valencia region earlier this week.

With cars piled up in the streets, at least 95 dead and dozens more missing, there’s no doubt that the floods that wreaked havoc across the east of Spain have caused utter devastation. 

Galway student reaction

University of Galway student Hannah Sharpe is currently on Erasmus at the Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia. She spoke about her ongoing experience in the region which has been deemed by many as one of Spain’s worst natural disasters. 

“Right now, I’m living closer to the city centre, so it’s not as bad,” said Hannah. “It’s very bad in rural areas, but you can still feel the effects where I am. For example, the metros are cancelled, they’re completely submerged in water. The trains are cancelled, it’s only the buses that are running.” 

Meteorologists reported that a year’s worth of rain fell in one day in parts of Valencia on Tuesday (October 29). This triggered flash floods that caught many people unaware, trapping them in cars and houses. 

“Monday evening, all of the colleges closed down except mine so we went into class as normal on Tuesday. It wasn’t very bad, just windy. Ten minutes after we got in, they sent everyone home. Even at that stage, the metros had started closing down so some people were trapped. 

“My teacher said she had space in her car and told people to get in and she drove them home. It was crazy.” 

Aftermath of floods

Military and emergency crews were dispatched on Wednesday morning (October 30) to provide aid with rescue efforts. However, many towns remained without aid hours after the floods due to blocked streets and the loss of several communication lines. 

“A lot of people in my college are from Valencia, and if they are living in rural towns, they’ve been completely destroyed,” noted Hannah. “There was a girl whose house was flooded but her dad was out helping to rescue people.” 

While the torrential rain has eased off slightly, weather officials are warning that more is on the way. 

“There’s meant to be more rain this weekend, which they’re fearing. Especially because the more rural towns are just completely submerged in mud and water and that’s not going to dry up if it keeps raining.” 

Luckily, Hannah was able to get out of the Valencia area and is heading down to Alicante. 

“It was pre-planned, and it just happened that since I was getting a bus, it kept going. The region is going into three-day mourning anyway, so it’s good to get out and clear the head a bit. You don’t experience this back home at all.”