Twenty days after the floods which caused the death of 219 people, 13 people are still missing. His family and friends have been living in uncertainty for two weeks. Samuel Ruiz (28 years old) chose to return to work. His father, Francisco (64), was swept away by the waters on the afternoon of October 29. Her two grandchildren witnessed the scene. Francisco was driving through the municipality of Montserrat, when he saw that the water was reaching higher heights, he tried to save them. He placed them on the roof of the vehicle and when he tried to get in, the current swept him away.
Since then, Samuel and his family have been looking for Francisco. They have exhausted all the resources at their disposal: bureaucratic procedures, media coverage and neighborhood searches. Now, as they try to get back into their routine, they live with the worry of when they will receive that call that will give them information about Francisco’s whereabouts.
During the first days, residents of the municipality of Montserrat carried out raids with Saray, Samuel’s sister. They checked all the terrain they could access, but mud, flooded ground, and slippery terrain prevented them from moving forward and properly accomplishing this mission. “There, as a civilian, you cannot act,” explains Samuel.
The Military Emergency Unit and firefighters were the first to appear on scene. During this first week of activity, Samuel did not go to work. But aware that at this point his father’s whereabouts depend on specialist emergency teams and there is little more he can do, he began to return to his routine.
“You have to go to work, because otherwise, you are constantly watching the news, social networks and, in the end, you cannot escape the situation,” he explains. And he adds: “There comes a time when we feel helpless, we can’t do anything because it’s already done.” [todo]”.
In Cheste, the municipality also dedicated itself to the search for Elisabet Gil (38 years old). She was traveling with her mother in a Ford Focus on DANA Day and they were heading to the La Carreta Hotel, according to the missing woman’s aunt. woman in The Time of FTE. Mayor José Morel explains that members of the UME, firefighters, Civil Guard and local police passed by, and that the last to join the operation were the Topos Aztecas, a group of Mexican relief. The starting point for this search was a location she had sent via her cell phone.
Research devices are being developed on land and water. To do this, 42 military divers work in garages and parking lots as well as in natural spaces such as La Albufera or Gola del Pujol Nou. For their part, UME specialists carried out dives in pipes and areas with complex access. In these missions, they use autonomous vehicles that help them detect underwater objects.
Alexia also experienced the anguish of searching for a family member for days. In her case, it was on Monday the 11th that they received the call that allowed them to rest mentally, as she herself admits, even if the ending was “the worst”. The body of Luciano (58 years old), his uncle, was identified a week ago. He had disappeared in Catarroja on the day of the floods.
His family spent thirteen days without knowing where Luciano was. A few weeks which were the worst of her life for this young woman. He says the experience was a horror, that he felt dizzy every day and wondered what had happened to his uncle since the ravines overflowed. At first, in the first days, she and her family hoped that he would appear alive, but gradually this expectation disappeared.
At that time, the Catarroja town hall contacted Luciano’s wife to pass on the information they had about the search operation. They explained to them how the work of the UME in the region was progressing. Alexia’s family would have liked to have more direct contact with the state security forces and bodies responsible for the search, but they are aware of the difficulties and the scale of the disaster.
Family needs
For relatives of missing people, it is necessary to have information about the work that is being done to find their loved ones. This is corroborated by psychologist expert in emergencies and disasters Sara Laguna Bonilla, who explains that it is important to provide them with this data. To reduce their emotional and physical wear and tear, those affected by the flood also need to “cover their basic needs” and give themselves space to escape, and not be immersed in research at all times.
“Uncertainty is our worst enemy,” says Laguna Bonilla, who says emergency psychologists are now needed in DANA-affected areas because they have the training to know how to act. In the case of the missing, he considers that professionals must now start working with their families to avoid “pathological mourning” in the future, especially in cases where the body is not found.
The discovery of the bodies, says the psychologist, facilitates the goodbye process. “Grief has already begun, it appears when the crisis begins, whether with the loss of a home, a family member or a business,” he says.
“It is very important to emphasize that the majority of the population will experience some discomfort and difficulty resuming their daily life, but not everyone will develop a subsequent psychological disorder. Around 70 to 80% will not suffer from it,” he emphasizes.
During these 20 days, Samuel received psychological support and feels supported, even if he expresses his dissatisfaction with the initial handling of the missing persons reports. “It was very unfortunate,” he said. He called a number activated by the Generalitat and there they only asked for the name of the missing person, nothing more. Not the clothes he was wearing the last time they saw Francisco, nor where he was the last time he was seen by his grandchildren. It was Samuel and his family who were responsible for finding the telephone number of the Civil Guard who questioned them to facilitate the identification of the body. He is also not satisfied with the information obtained directly from the administration.
While waiting for the call to confirm the identification of his father, this young man reflects on the measures that could have been taken so that on October 29, Francisco did not take the car at six in the afternoon to go find yourself in a death trap. “If they had announced the alert earlier, my father could have been saved,” Samuel concludes.
