Four days after the devastating floods that occurred overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday and devastated the southeast of Spain, new military reinforcements arrived on Saturday, November 2 to help search for the missing and restore the towns devastated by the torrents of mud. According to a latest report communicated at the end of the morning by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, at least 211 people died and operations continued to find the missing.
Therefore, this number of victims could increase even further, as many missing people are still being searched, especially among the corpses of cars overturned by the furious waves, which litter parking lots and streets. The president of the Valencian Community, Carlos Mazón, assured on Friday afternoon that there were still no official figures on the missing, while neighbors without news of their loved ones increased their calls for help on social networks.
“It would be imprudent to give a figure”The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, confirmed on the Antena 3 television network. However, “It is likely, given the circumstances and the opinion of experts. (…) that there will be more deathshe added.
The regional government of Valencia blames
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who chaired a meeting of the crisis committee on Saturday morning at the Moncloa Palace, the official residence of the head of the Government, announced the sending of 5,000 soldiers, raising the total number of soldiers to 7,000. deployed in the area. field – and 5,000 additional police officers and gendarmes – which will double the number of law enforcement officers on the ground – “in the next few hours” to help the inhabitants of the southeast of the country. These floods have “caused the largest natural disaster in the recent history of our country”added the head of government.
“I am aware that the answer given is not sufficient. I know that there are serious problems and deficiencies”Sánchez also declared, although criticism of the authorities’ lack of response capacity has not diminished. Alerted too late to the seriousness of the situation, many people were surprised in their cars.
The Generalitat Valenciana is accused in particular of having sent a telephone alert message to residents late on Tuesday, while the Spanish National Meteorological Agency (Aemet) had placed the Valencian Community in “red alert” first thing in the morning. Carlos Mazón, president of the Valencian Community, directly accused, especially in the press, has not yet responded to the criticism.
Theft and acts of looting
Today, the priority remains the search for the missing and the reopening of the roads to allow “transport” help and recovery “essential services”removing vehicles and debris that impede traffic, said Sánchez. In total, more than 2,000 damaged cars and trucks were removed, as well as hundreds of tons of mud and debris, according to the head of government.
The latter also promised to restore order in the affected areas. Since the floods, which occurred during the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, authorities have confirmed acts of looting and robberies. The police have already carried out “82 arrests”he clarified.
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In a daily interview The CountryThe Minister of Transportation, Oscar Puente, recognized that many localities had “serious communication difficulties because the network is practically destroyed”. “The magnitude of this disaster is unprecedented in the history of our country”he insisted.
Volunteers called to return home
In this gloomy panorama, the displays of solidarity continue, especially in Valencia, where thousands of people gathered for the second consecutive day on Saturday at dawn to go on foot to neighboring towns, equipped with shovels and brooms. “Yesterday we brought tons of food and water to the most affected municipalities”“Susana Camarero, vice president of the Valencian Community, assured journalists, recognizing that operations were hindered by the state of the infrastructure.
“Many towns were isolated and we called the town councils to find out what they needed, but there were no telephones”he recalled, while thousands of people remain deprived of communication. On Friday, the number of volunteers was such that the authorities asked residents who traveled by car to the affected communities to stay in their homes, so as not to obstruct the roads and prevent the passage of aid.
On the outskirts of Valencia, the work of rescuers and soldiers should take place under mild skies on Saturday. But the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warned that heavy rainfall would still occur in the province of Castellón, in the north of the Valencian Community, which was placed on orange alert.
