November 23, the state of things in Valencia

There is still a lot of clean up left to do. This photo shows this location unchanged since the flood. This does not signify a lack of effort but more likely insufficient resources despite nation-wide efforts. Valencia rejected offers from abroad which may have helped, coordination difficulties aside. From Las Provincias

There are many volunteers at the Feria, a site normally used for expositions. It has large areas ideal for collecting and distributing donations. Large amounts go in and out, out on off road military transport vehicles that can go just about anywhere. Friends in Picanya report an abundance of goods and volunteers still. They are concerned that support will fall off too soon however. They also report that there is no school for the children. The day care center they use for their youngest is housing soldiers.

The metro is set to be fully operational as of December 6th. Green buses lent by Madrid are replacing metro service where possible in the meantime. Because the metro to the airport is not working you can go by bus or taxi. We went by taxi the other day. The driver took a route we’ve never been on before. He explained that the normal route is still closed to traffic due to flood damage. He also explained that taxi drivers were protesting recently over the local government’s decision to allow them to work seven days a week. They are normally limited to five. As a result of the loss of tourism including cruise ships there is less work for taxis now than before. The government mistakenly believes, he said, that because the metro is not working and some bus service has been disrupted that there is more demand for taxis. Now with seven day permission more taxis will be out looking for fares, resulting in them spending money just driving around.

I found this photo in an AP story. It shows the before and after satellite images of Valencia. AP story