The Valencia region needs increased military resources, equipment and funding to deal with what has been called Europe’s “second worst flood of the century.” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the immediate deployment of 5,000 soldiers, in addition to the 3,000 already present, along with an additional 5,000 members of the Guardia Civil and police forces. In an official statement after the crisis committee held in Moncloa, Sanchez announced that the death toll has risen to 211.
The prime minister stressed the importance of recovering essential services in the affected municipalities, noting that the priority is the search for missing people. He also described the damage caused by Dana, which devastated bridges, highways and electrical infrastructure, many of which were not designed to withstand such extreme weather events. Sanchez said that repair work has begun with the support of the private sector and while significant progress has been made, much remains to be done.
The electricity situation has improved, with 94% of consumers affected by the outages already served again; about half of the 550,000 downed lines have been restored, with the aim of completing recovery by the weekend. However, the mayor of Aldaia expressed concern about the dire conditions in the region: “There are 10,000 cars stuck on the streets and we need heavy equipment to clear the roads.” Many neighborhoods remain isolated without electricity or drinking water.
Amparo Folgado, the mayor of Torrent, said that only one bridge remained standing in the municipality and that they are working with residents and law enforcement to try to restore some normalcy. At least 800 displaced people are currently housed in a sports hall and electricity was only recently restored to much of the municipality. However, many neighborhoods continue to be surrounded by debris and abandoned vehicles.
From Chiva, Mayor Amparo Fort launched an urgent appeal for water and food since assistance has not yet arrived in her area and there is also no telephone communication. The Valencian Government’s Emergency Center has invited the affected municipalities to report safe areas for helicopter landings and for parking the heavy vehicles needed for rescue operations.
The Valencia region is requesting an increase in military resources, vehicles and funding to deal with what has been described as “the second worst flood of the century” in Europe.
In Valencia, search operations to find any survivors continue, three days after the devastating flood caused by Dana. The death toll has surpassed 200 and the situation remains critical, with around 366,000 people without access to drinking water and 50,000 without electricity.