Spain continues to reel from what it says is its worst flooding disaster in decades after at least 158 bodies were confirmed, but rescue teams are still desperately seeking survivors. The nation’s eastern regions continue to feel the force of water that surged into various areas, including Valencia, which recorded 155 fatalities, Castilla-La Mancha, and Andalusia, where the victim included a British national. Heavy rains have destroyed the towns, leaving streets littered with mud and debris as vehicles pile up since the roads were turned into rivers during Tuesday’s torrential downpour.
More than 1,200 rescue workers were deployed to survey the damage and look for trapped residents with the help of drones. King Felipe VI said the emergency is nowhere near over because rain in the forecast promises to prove a challenge for Spain’s southeast. The country entered into a three-day mourning on Thursday, lowering flags and holding moments of silence over victims.
Public outcry had gained momentum in the controversy of untimely and ineffective local warnings, allegedly at the part of civil protection, that only began releasing alerts several hours past the first reports of part-time floods in Valencia. This event raises questions about preparedness for extreme weather that scientists say has partly originated due to climate change. According to the Spanish meteorological agency, the town of Chiva at the outskirts of Valencia took eight hours to experience what a year’s worth of rain might have produced mostly because of the “gota fria” -driven weather phenomenon amid rising global temperatures.
