Too little, too late: How Valencia’s residents were trapped with no warning in Spain’s deadly floods

Valencia, Spain (CNN) — Adan Ortell Mor had a 7:30 p.m. appointment to cut a client’s hair at his salon in La Torre, Valencia, on Tuesday night. But when the client called to cancel because traffic was bad, it may have saved Mor’s life. Instead, he went home and saw reports of cars floating in floodwaters in a town upriver.

“I said to myself: That water is headed this way,” he told CNN as he shoveled mud from his home. “I don’t think it’ll take long. I rushed to the balcony, looked around the side and there the water was coming. It was already at my door.”

No warning. No alerts. That came about an hour later on his mobile phone. A blaring alarm sent to all residents in Valencia, telling them of heavy rains and to stay at home. Far too late for the many people already trapped in rising floodwaters.

This is the worst natural disaster Valencia has seen in decades. A year’s worth of rain dumped in less than 8 hours, according to Spain’s meteorological agency. The water came rushing down the rivers and tributaries towards the Mediterranean Sea, picking up cars and destroying bridges along the way. More than 200 people have been killed, with authorities warning the death toll is likely to rise.

But it is not unprecedented. Valencia suffered a similar deadly flood in October 1957 caused by the same seasonal weather phenomenon known as a Gota Fria or a Cold Drop. That disaster killed dozens of people when the Turia burst its banks in the crowded neighborhoods of Valencia city. It was so deadly that the city spent millions to reroute the river years later.

So, how did Valencia get caught unawares again?

Spain’s AEMET weather center in Valencia warned of heavy rainfall at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, raising the alert level to red in some areas and warning residents to stay off the roads in case of floods.

By 10:30 a.m., firefighters in interior towns like Llombai were rescuing people from the floods. AEMET warned residents to be vigilant, even if there was little rainfall in their areas, as ravines and gullies were quickly filling with water streaming down from the mountains toward the sea.

At noon, Valencia’s regional president, Carlos Mazon, seemed to downplay the crisis by saying the storm was subsiding, contradicting the warnings of emergency services. The statement was posted by his office on X but has since been deleted.

By 5 p.m., Valencia’s emergency services were swamped by hundreds of pleas for help throughout the region.

It was at 8 p.m. that cell phones finally buzzed with the public alert telling residents to stay indoors. Much too little, much too late, even for those downstream of the raging water who might otherwise have had time to prepare.

Politicians are pointing fingers at each other for the failure to act quickly enough. In the end, however, it’s residents like 70-year-old Valentín Manzaneque Fernández who are suffering the consequences. He is furious.

“The politicians are all scoundrels. Are they out here there removing mud? They fill their pockets to give us this?” he told CNN as he joined the line of residents walking into the city for help. “The storm hit in the morning. But the water didn’t get to us until 8 in the evening. Yet, nobody warned us, nothing. Nobody cared.”

He spent two nights sleeping outdoors on a neighbor’s roof terrace before deciding to slog through hours of mud and debris from his home in the suburb of Sedavi to get food and water in Valencia city.

The waters have receded, but recovering from the destruction will take weeks and months. Valencia’s highways remain blocked or only partially usable, many choked by washed-up vehicles. Train tracks are so badly damaged that service is not likely to resume for weeks, according to Adif, Spain’s rail authority.

Mor isn’t waiting for any government help. When CNN spoke to him, he was caked in mud, clearing out the debris piled up in his family home with his own broom and shovel. Neighbors were pitching in too, while volunteers arrived carrying water proof boots, buckets and a grocery cart filled with food and water.

His salon business, he says, is completely ruined. But he counts himself lucky. His parents survived the 1957 flood and he managed to get them to safety during this disaster.

“It’s just material stuff that got ruined. The main thing is, my family is safe. We will get through it, my family is all right,” he said. “All we can do now is get to work and clean up.”

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