Spain: Flooding in Valencia Kills More than 70 People

Three days of national mourning has been declared

The Spanish city of Valencia has been brought to its knees by flooding that has left several people missing, and the death toll continues to rise, reaching more than 70 on the afternoon of October 30. In eight hours, Spain’s third largest city was hit by the amount of water that normally falls in a year. Meanwhile, the bad weather spread to other parts of Spain, such as Andalusia, where a water tornado was reported to have hit Jerez de la Frontera, and heavy rains caused various inconveniences in Seville.

The extreme meteorological conditions were caused by a phenomenon known as DANA (Depresión aislada en niveles altos – isolated depression at high levels), which is a typical Mediterranean phenomenon – as reported by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera – that occurs when a mass of cold air rises above the ground, gets isolated at altitude, while at low altitudes the air is hot and humid, which can cause heavy rainfall.

Valencia Community President Carlos Mazón explained that entire areas were completely flooded with water, as well as countless cars, while strong winds swept away street signs, advertising banners, and trees. Mazón himself is now at the center of controversy because he allegedly underestimated the situation. But some areas received 445 liters of water per square meter, far more than the 180 liters stipulated by the state meteorology agency (AEMET).

The number of missing people is unknown, explained the Spanish government from the mouth of the Minister of Territorial Policy, Angel Victor Torres, it “cannot provide official data on missing persons, and this fact demonstrates the enormity of this tragedy.”

The European Commission is sending aid to flood-affected people, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explained: “What we are witnessing is devastating. Entire villages are covered in mud, people seek shelter in trees, and cars are destroyed by the fury of the water. Dozens of people died. Thousands of people are displaced from their homes.” The EU chief executive also emphasized that this is the third catastrophic weather event in a matter of weeks, given that extreme atmospheric events first hit central-eastern Europe, then Italy, and now Spain: “This is the dramatic reality of climate change, and we must prepare to meet it.”