At seven in the morning, a large group of volunteers gathered at the Ciudad de las Artes in Valencia, where the Civil Protection manages rescue operations in the areas affected by the recent tragedy. By that time, hundreds of people were already queuing, and within an hour the number had risen to thousands. Coming from different parts of Spain and of all ages, the volunteers waited in an orderly fashion to receive identification T-shirts, masks, gloves, shovels and other tools needed for the intervention. Once equipped, they were divided into teams of fifty.

The brigades, supervised by members of the Civil Protection, were sent to the municipalities devastated by the catastrophe caused by Dana, the deadliest in recent times. Localities such as Sadavi, Alfafar and Catarroja suffered extensive damage and recorded at least 202 confirmed deaths. The volunteers bring with them water and food to distribute to communities in difficulty. Although the organization had planned 50 buses to transport rescuers, this number proved insufficient in the face of the great response of solidarity.

“It is essential to coordinate aid so as not to hinder the work of emergency teams and the armed forces,” said Miguel Salvador, head of coordination for the regional administration. Entire families can be seen in line, such as Luz Maria, 16, with her father Alfonso, 52; there are also retirees and professionals like Cristina Sanz, a 34-year-old doctor who has already participated in interventions in the mud in Alfafar: “A minimum of organization is needed to avoid chaos,” she commented.

Coordinators estimate that there are between six and seven thousand volunteers willing to help. Among them are tourists like Ingrid and Mark, a German couple who decided to contribute: “We cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of the people,” they said.

To facilitate emergency operations, the Generalitat Valenciana has imposed traffic restrictions in the affected municipalities until midnight the following day. At the request of Governor Carlos Mazon, another thousand soldiers have been mobilized to join the two thousand already present in the field to remove vehicles and debris and search for any missing persons. The Ministry of the Interior has also activated more than 4,470 police and civil guard officers. Night operations by military units continue with the aim of draining the water that invades garages and homes in the search for victims or missing persons.