Disasters have a subtle way of connecting stories. Often the connection is not found in the events themselves, but in the void they leave. In Valencia, DANA devastated landscapes, houses and certainties. Among the ruins, the shared pain of three families – those of Javier Sánchez Rocafull, Francisco Ruiz Martínez and Elisabet Gil Martínez – became a common river of absence and hope. Even today, almost a month laterthe waters seem to have taken more than these three people: they also took away the possibility of closing a cycle, of finding answers.
Each of these families navigates their own unfinished grief, marked by the same question: where are they ? If for thousands of Valencians the return to routine is underway insoluble, for the relatives of those still missing, it becomes impossible. “I hope this nightmare ends now. I pray for everyone.”tell Samuel Ruiz son of François. With his name, that of Javier and Elisabet, although unknown to each other, resonate together these days in a story of the fight against uncertainty.
On October 29, Valencia woke up to a storm unlike any other. But the rain, persistent and furious, It was a flood that resulted in one of the worst natural disasters in Spanish history.. Among the overflowing river beds which swept away cars and houses, hundreds of people disappeared. Many of them were found dead – 222, according to the latest official figure – while to date, five people remain missing.
After the flood
Elisabet Gil Martínez38 years old, was traveling with her mother, Elvira, in a ford black by Cheste when the flood surprised them. According to what his aunt said a few days ago in TVE timeboth were headed to the La Carreta Hotel, but they never arrived. A few days later, the lifeless body of Elvira was found, but there is no trace of Elisabet. Until today, his research has continued to be a mammoth effort.
Surveillance cameras, tracking data and organized raids have expanded the search area to Quarter of Poblet24 kilometers from Cheste. Groups like the Aztec moles Mexican rescuers specializing in disasters came to join the work. However, each day that passes seems to add even more weight to his family’s grief. “It’s infuriating”said Elisabet’s cousin. “You can’t stop searching, but you also can’t continue living normally. Everything stops until you know something.”
The long experience of humanitarian disasters of the Mexican volunteer group Topos Aztecas was at the service of Elisabet’s research.
The story of Francisco Ruiz Martinez64 years old, was mentioned several times in the media due to the dazzling nature of the event: Ruiz was in the industrial zone of Montserrat with her two grandchildren when DANA caught up with them. The flood, caused by the overflowing of the Magro River, swept away his car. He quickly broke the windows to save the little ones and placed them on the roof of the vehicle.. His heroic act saved their lives, but he did not have time to get to safety and was taken away in front of the miners.
Samuel, his son, remembers the shocking call he received that day: “My father always put others before himself.. That’s what he did with my nephews. But I can’t help but wonder if there was a moment, a single moment, when he knew he wasn’t going to get out of there. “The residents of Montserrat, along with volunteers and members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), searched the area for days.
Not long ago they found a shoe and a cap from Francisco, as if the water had decided to leave tiny clues about a man who gave everything for his family. Despite efforts, the chances of finding him alive diminish over time. For Samuel, waiting is a constant punishment: “The silence is unbearable. Sometimes I think I prefer an answer, even if it’s the worst.”
Family and friends of 64-year-old Montserrat resident Francisco Ruiz Martínez continue to desperately search for him.
In Chera Sota small town surrounded by mountains, Javier Sánchez Rocafull He lived with his wife Ana and their two children, Javi and Ainhoa. That fateful night the river overflowed foolexacerbated by torrential rains, destroyed his three-story house. Javi, four years old, He died instantly when the building collapsed. His father Javier disappeared into the water, swept away by a wave while trying to assess the situation from a window.
Ana and Ainhoa survived in a way that many consider miraculous: after falling from the third floor, They clung to the rubble and held out all night in the rain. When they found them, at dawn, they were standing, holding hands, looking out at a landscape they could barely recognize. For Ana, the grief is twofold: the loss of a child and the uncertainty about her husband. “I want to believe they will find him, but I don’t know what to expect anymore.”she said in tears.
In search of hope
In the affected areas, life continues to be an attempt at reconstruction. But for families Javier, Francisco and Elisabettime seems to have stopped at the precise moment of the tragedy. Every call from authorities, every clue that emerges from the mud, every face found, brings with it a mixture of hope and fear.
Although almost a month later, the outlook is bleak and hopes are fading, all has not been lost in this tragedy. In Catarroja, four members of the same family were found alive last November 4. Their location was discovered thanks to the rapid intervention of a neighbor who, upon seeing the images posted on social networks, recognized them while they were walking in the street and immediately warned.
In the midst of so much pain, this story, quickly relayed by local media, stood out as a glimmer of hope: a reminder that sometimes, even in the worst circumstances, it is still possible to write a happy ending.
