Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ordered the deployment of 10,000 troops and police officers to help in the eastern region of Valencia, devastated by historic floods. The brutal floods have killed at least 211 people in the eastern, southern and central regions, but authorities warn that casualties could still rise.
The government is mobilising all the resources at its disposal to combat the “terrible tragedy” that has hit the eastern region of Valencia hardest, according to a statement by Sánchez after chairing a meeting of the flood committee. But hopes of finding survivors pale four days after torrents of muddy water destroyed towns and infrastructure in the biggest disaster of its kind in the European country in decades.
“There are still dozens of people looking for their loved ones and hundreds of households mourning the loss of a relative, a friend or a neighbour. I want to express our deepest love to them and assure them that the government of Spain and the entire state, at all its different administrative levels, is with all of them,” according to him in a televised address on Saturday morning.
Nearly all the deaths occurred in the Valencia region, where thousands of security and emergency workers were feverishly clearing rubble and mud in search of bodies. The disaster was the second worst flooding in Europe this century and announced a significant increase in the number of security forces involved in the response, according to Sánchez.
Spain had witnessed “the largest deployment of armed forces and police personnel that’s ever been seen in our country during peacetime. It has so far carried out 4,800 rescues and helped more than 30,000 people in their homes, on the roads, and in flooded industrial estates,” according to Sánchez’s statement after the first 48 hours since the floods began.
“That is why the Spanish government is today sending 4,000 more personnel from the military emergencies unit to Valencia province. Tomorrow, another 1,000 military personnel will arrive … I’ve also ordered the deployment of an amphibious navy boat that has operating theatres, helicopters and a fleet of vehicles that will arrive at Valencia port in the coming hours,” said Sánchez.
Electricity has returned to 94 per cent of homes affected by the blackouts and that about half of the downed telephone lines have been repaired, according to the prime minister. However, authorities faced criticism over pre-flood warning systems, with some affected residents complaining that the response to the disaster was too slow. Sánchez admitted that much of the aid was taking too long to reach stranded and flooded homes, garages and isolated villages.
“The situation we’re experiencing is tragic and dramatic,” he said. “We’re almost certainly talking about the worst flood our continent has seen so far this century. I’m aware that the response we’re mounting isn’t enough. I know that. And I know there are severe problems and shortages and that there are still collapsed services and towns buried by the mud where people are desperately looking for their relatives, and people who can’t get into their homes, and houses that have been buried or destroyed by mud. I know we have to do better and give it our all.”
In response to the criticism, he also stated that there would be time later to look into what had gone wrong and to learn lessons “about the importance of our public services and how to reinforce them in the situations we’re living through as a consequence of climate change … But now we need to focus all our efforts on the colossal task we face and to forget our differences and put ideologies and disagreements to one side and act together.”
Floods in Spain this week caused by heavy rain have inundated cities, towns and villages, sweeping away bridges, cars, trees and street lights. The storm formed when cold air moved over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea and is a common occurrence for this time of year. The number of missing persons remains unknown. Thousands of people do not have access to water or reliable food at this time, and parts of the worst affected areas remain inaccessible.
An orange weather warning remained in force on Saturday for Castellón, Valencia province, and a stretch of coastline in Tarragona, Catalonia province. Meanwhile, Spanish media reported that King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will visit Valencia on Sunday along with Sánchez and regional leader Carlos Mason.
