Spaniards have begun looking for those responsible for the severe flooding in Valencia province that occurred on Tuesday. The media and social media users are criticizing the authorities, saying that rescuers issued warnings too late and that officials were unprepared for such a disaster.
According to recent reports, the death toll from the heavy rain and subsequent flooding in eastern Spain has exceeded 158. BBC published an article investigating the origins of the disaster. Civil Protection issued a warning only on Tuesday evening when numerous towns were already flooded.
“Questions are arising about whether the scale of this tragedy was communicated to the public too late. Civil Protection issued an alert only when cities were already flooded,” wrote Spain’s El Mundo newspaper. The publication noted that hundreds of people spent Tuesday night in industrial areas or in vehicles by the roadside, as the roads became impassable due to the flooding.
“The Magro River overflowed, filling the city with water, mud, and debris, but as mayor, no one warned me that this could happen,” complained Andreu Salom, mayor of the town of Alculdia.
Meanwhile, Alicante University climatologist Jorge Olcina stated that Spain’s meteorological service did advise people to stay at home to avoid risk to their lives. “But even when given a ‘red’ alert, people want to carry on with life as usual,” Olcina told Cadena Ser radio.
Some citizens are blaming the Valencia provincial government for allegedly cutting funds from rescue services. The provincial leader, conservative Carlos Mazón, had to justify his decision to disband UVE, a special emergency service established by left-wing politicians who previously held office in the province. After winning last year’s election, Mazón shut down UVE, claiming it cost more than it was worth. Now, Mazón and his conservative People’s Party are facing criticism for this decision.
In response, Valencia officials argued that UVE was an ineffective organization, describing it as “firefighters - zero, material resources - zero, efficiency - zero.” Many are also criticizing Mazón for his promise that rainfall would decrease from 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. Instead, the floods intensified in the evening, submerging cities and towns, sweeping away cars, and flooding roads. Mazón responded by stating that rescue services had been on high alert since Monday and that issuing specific warnings to residents was challenging due to the unprecedented nature of the event.
“Experts say nothing like this has happened before,” the provincial leader said.
Climate change activists are using the Spanish floods as a reminder of the urgent need for swift and decisive action to combat global warming. “Climate change is not an abstract concept; it’s a reality impacting our lives and putting lives at risk,” said Eva Saldana, head of Greenpeace Spain.
Alicante University researcher and co-author of a recent report on climate change in Spain, Jorge Olcina, emphasized that this extreme rainfall and flooding in Valencia is one of the manifestations of climate change. According to climatologists, the current flooding is due to a combination of multiple factors, but the gradual warming of the atmosphere from global warming increases the likelihood of such natural disasters.
