‘I feel anger’: Spain braces for more storms after deadly flash floods

Valencia and Madrid, Spain – When flash floods swept through Valencia, priceless family mementoes were destroyed as waters engulfed Marilo Grandoli’s ground-floor flat.

But, despite this, Grandoli feels fortunate.

“We lost things like the card which showed when my great grandfather opened his food shop in 1915, my school homework and family photographs,” she told Al Jazeera.

“These were precious to us. But there are other families who have lost relatives. They have lost far more.”

The 52-year-old journalist, who lives in Catarroja, one of the worst affected areas of Valencia where 28 people died, says she is still in shock, more than two weeks after the floods.

Now, fears are rising again across Spain as more rainstorms threaten to overflow rivers.

On Wednesday, Aemet, the state weather forecaster, issued red alerts for Malaga, where thousands have been evacuated, and Tarragona in Catalonia. An amber alert, the second highest level, was issued for Valencia.

On Thursday, though alerts were not issued for Malaga, heavy rain is expected in parts of the Valencia region. These do not include the areas worst affected by the floods on October 29.

A person holds a mobile phone showing an alert about traffic restrictions in 20 municipalities affected by the overflowing Poyo and Magro, in Quart de Poblet, Valencia, Spain [Eva Manez/Reuters]

Some Spaniards have covered their cars in plastic and tied them to lampposts in preparation.

“I don’t know what day of the week it is, whether it is Monday or Tuesday,” said Grandoli.

Like thousands of other Valencians, her life was turned upside down on October 29 when flash floods devastated the city. At least 223 people died and 23 are still missing.

As a mammoth cleanup operation continues, Grandoli says she feels a mixture of anger, gratitude and determination.

“I feel anger towards the politicians, but gratitude to the volunteers and the public services for the way they have helped clear up. The Valencian people will recover,” she said.

The ire of many people has been directed at Carlos Mazon, the Valencian regional president, whose administration issued a red alert to residents’ mobile phones at 8.11pm on the day of the floods, hours after the villages and suburbs of the city started witnessing the devastation.

Aemet had issued a red alert warning at 7.31am on the day of the downpour, 12 hours before the Valencian authorities.

Mazon, who will appear before the Valencian parliament on Friday to explain his administration’s decisions, told reporters on Monday that “errors may have been committed” and “everyone” would be obliged to review them.

‘He has the blood of so many people on his hands’

Tens of thousands of people called for Mazon’s resignation at an angry demonstration on Saturday in Valencia, with protesters plastering the Valencian government building in mud.

Eulalia Gregori held aloft a homemade sign showing an upside Mazon with devil’s horns.

“Go to hell where you belong, you left us with blood on your hands,” reads the poster.

“Mazon should be the one who pays for this disaster. He has the blood of so many people on his hands, yet he spent his time denying he did anything wrong,” Gregori, 38, a teacher, who lives in Valencia, told Al Jazeera.

“I did not lose a brother or a father in the floods and my house is not covered in mud, but we are all together in this.”

A man walks past graffiti reading ‘Thanks volunteers. Politician dogs. The people rule here’ following catastrophic flooding, as Spain braces for more torrential rain, in Paiporta, Valencia [Vincent West/Reuters]

A Valencian government spokesman sent Al Jazeera a statement saying a series of warnings were issued to residents before the floods.

On the day of the disaster, it said, it was not informed in time of the danger of flooding by the state-run hydrological authority, which is responsible for water management in the area.

Others have directed their anger at the Spanish government for failing to deliver aid to the region faster.

Spain is a highly decentralised country with regions retaining much autonomy.

The flood was declared a level-two emergency, meaning the Valencian authorities retained authority for managing the crisis, rather than the central government.

A spokesman for the Spanish government told Al Jazeera it had done everything to warn of the impending disaster and to offer help even though it was not in overall control.

Earlier alert ‘could have saved lives’

Spain’s socialist government has sought to avoid a political row with the conservative administration in Valencia run by the opposition People’s Party.

Oscar Puente, the Spanish transport minister, told reporters on Tuesday: “This is not the time to talk about responsibilities but the time to concentrate on the recuperation of Valencia.”

King Felipe, who was pelted with mud when he visited Valencia with politicians last week, is also the target of residents’ fury.

Ana Camarasa Belmonte, an expert in hydrology at the University of Valencia who studied the floodplain where the disaster happened, said few people living in the area knew how to react.

Police and firefighters from Madrid drain a garage following catastrophic flooding in Valencia [Vincent West/Reuters]

“If the alert was sent to people earlier, it could have saved lives. If people had known about the risk they were facing, they could have protected themselves better,” she told Al Jazeera.

Camarasa Belmonte said the flood happened in the Rambla de Poyo river basin, in the south of Valencia. Normally, it is a stream which is usually dry and not accustomed to such a high volume of water.

“The collective memory is very short and when several years go by without floods, people forget the risk they are facing. This creates a false sense of security, which must be combated by citizen education about the danger of the territory where they live and how to behave in a flood,” she said.

She added that the regional urban plan allowed a high level of construction in an area prone to flooding.

“It is clearly a bad idea to have so much construction in a zone like this. The use should be different,” Camarasa Belmonte said.

Back in Catarroja, among the sadness, one thing gives Grandoli some solace. Her family’s shop has become a pick-up point for free food for those who need it most in the neighbourhood.

“I am so pleased my great-grandfather’s shop has become something positive for people,” said Grandoli.