Update on the flood disaster, morning November 7, 2024

Some 1 million were effected by flood waters in 78 municipalities.

Donations to the Spanish Red Cross can be made here Cruzroja.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io7jgf82fX8 This video is about Picanya, on the Rambla del Poyo. The first speaker indicates the height of the waters where he is standing. The bridge there is destroyed and he says the next five bridges are as well, but there is one remaining so people can cross the Rambla. The second speaker points to his house. The water having reached a height of 5 meters he was forced into the top floor.

Las Provincias (Valencia based newspaper) reports an urgent need to drain standing water. Cleaning of ground floors and basements have resulted in vast quantities of dirty water creating an unbearable stench (“hedor”). They need every truck in Spain capable of carrying off this water. Some houses were condemned due to structural weakness. Inside buildings there is still much to be discarded but nowhere left to put it given the mountains of debris already there.

Those effected by the floods have two months to request financial assistance. This includes farmers. There are more than 54,000 hectares effected. The main way to request assistance is via the internet. However many do not have the capacity for one reason or the other, and lack the digital certificate needed, so the provincial government (Generalitat) plans to open local facilities, itself a significant challenge under the circumstances.

The two pedestrian walkways and the railway bridge in Paiporta are unusable. The other three infrastructures that crossed the Poyo suffered no structural damage and are operational, per the Levante. Levante also reports that there are still 93 people missing. Levante November 7

Debris and cars, and perhaps cadavers still, effected The Albufera, a fishing and agricultural area south of the city of Valencia. Fishing has been suspended pending further evaluation. Rice, artichokes, oranges and more are cultivated in the area. The Rambla del Poya that carried the devastating flood waters empties into the brackish lake at the heart of the area.