Following last week’s devastating flood in Valencia, Spain has deployed almost 15,000 military personnel and national police to help with search and rescue operations, restore critical services, and secure the area, according to Anadolu Agency.
More than 217 bodies have been found in the area, and many more are still missing.
The government has also launched a sweeping aid package to help residents and businesses begin to rebuild their lives and address immediate needs.
The disaster, triggered by a powerful storm system, DANA, that caused record-breaking rains and ruptured riverbanks, sent a torrent of water sweeping through inland towns toward the coast. The sudden deluge overwhelmed local infrastructure, with emergency text message alerts arriving too late which critics say worsened the death toll and damage caused.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the situation on Tuesday, linking the disaster to climate change and promising rapid action to support Valencia’s recovery. “Climate change kills, and we are witnessing it,” Sánchez stated, emphasizing the need to adapt to the increasing climate risks in Spain’s Mediterranean region.
The aid package includes direct financial household and business assistance, government-backed loans, and significant tax relief. Many measures echo COVID-19 relief efforts to provide prompt support. Insurance claims are expected to reach an unprecedented EUR 3.5 billion, with more than 70,000 claims already filed.
Sánchez also announced Spain’s request for aid from the European Union’s Solidarity Fund, saying, “Spain has always offered the European Union help when it was needed, but now, Spain is asking for help.”
The pace of government response and belated cleanup effort has frustrated many survivors. Tensions boiled over when the president of Valencia, accompanied by King Philipe and the Queen, went to a heavily impacted town on Sunday, where some protestors expressed their anger by throwing mud and causing damage to an official vehicle.
Sánchez acknowledged the widespread distress, while asserting that “radical groups” had taken advantage of the visit. “I’m fine, and they will not take my attention away from what matters — the affected citizens,” he said.