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Outrage as warnings were issued late and inefficiently
Credit:Shutterstock:Vicente Sargues
Flooding in Valencia has caused not only widespread devastation across Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, and Andalucía, but also deep public anger over the government’s delayed warnings and insufficient emergency response.
Flash floods, which killed at least 217 people at the end of October have left not only a legacy of unprecedented devastation across many regions of Valencia as well as Castilla-La Mancha and Andalucía. They have also left much bitterness and anger towards the government, as many feel that warnings could have been issued earlier, preventing much unnecessary tragedy and that the emergency response was slow and insufficient.
As emergency services continue with the wide-scale clean-up operation, focused mainly in the worst-hit flood regions of Valencia, investigations and discussion about how the horrific catastrophe was managed are well underway.
Pedro Sánchez: The worst natural disaster in Spain’s living memory
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said this was the worst natural disaster in Spain’s living memory. And yet how has this been the case in a highly developed country in 2024, one might ask? Sánchez himself, who was attacked last Sunday in Paiporta, Valencia, during his attempted visit to some of the most afflicted Valencian regions, obviously didn’t have the answer either. Nor did his government it seems. However, experts are also blaming climate change for the intensity of the rainfall. Adverse weather conditions affecting countries like Spain had been well on the cards for some time. Many are saying that not only is this a wake-up call for governments who might well appear incompetent, but also for the whole of the Spanish nation and indeed the whole of Europe as we enter into a period more aware than ever of the impacts of global warming.
Flood victims outraged at the loss of life due to late warnings
Understandably, flood victims are outraged about the events leading up to the flooding. King Felipe VI, who accompanied Pedro Sánchez on Sunday, was also pelted with mud in the town of Paiporta: a visual symbol and manifestation of the ubiquitous rage and uproar across Spain in the aftermath. Carlos Mazón, Regional President for Valencia and Pedro Sánchez were both evacuated from the scene when the crowd turned hostile with Sánchez being attacked with a spade. Much of the heated anger has been targeted at Sánchez and his government. They were blamed for poor warning or even lack of warning until it was too late. Various frameworks had not been implemented in time, including a regional emergency unit, which had been dismantled by the previous coalition government and was still waiting in the wings for re-implementation.
Regional Valencian government blamed for warning that came too late
The regional government has also been in the firing line. It is, after all, their responsibility to issue warnings to the community over which they preside. These warnings did arrive, but far too late for people to be able to take appropriate action – a tardiness which resulted in the loss of over 200 lives. In his defence, Mazón claimed that his government has followed standard procedures and directed blame up top, saying he followed the protocols laid out by Spain’s central government.
Among other political leaders, PP (Partido Popular) leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also attacked the coordination between governments, claiming that there had been little of it and that what there was, had been inefficient.
Were local residents in at-risk areas actually warned about the flooding?
The question on everybody’s lips is: were all of Valencia’s residents in at-risk areas actually warned about the flooding? Two days before the catastrophe, AEMET issued several weather warnings of torrential rain. At 07:30 on the morning of the disaster, a red weather alert for severe weather was also issued. No mobile phone warning was received until 8pm that same evening. This obliged people to stay at home, yet many were already out – in their cars, in shopping centres or returning from work and were hit by the deluge – some by the overflowing River Magro at 6pm that evening:two hours before warnings. Mayor Andreu Salom told Spanish broadcaster RTVE about the lack of urgency:“I myself was on my way to check the river level at that moment because I had no information.” He added:“With the local police patrol, we were on our way to check the river level when we had to turn around because a tsunami of water, mud, reeds and dirt was already entering into the town.”
The EU urges for preparedness in the face of climate change
As criticism prevails, targeting those who should have mitigated the disaster or had the resources to do so, the focus of attention has also turned to the EU and a message for its countries that preparedness is crucial. In a cruel twist of coincidence, the European Commission had presented a report for increased civil and defence preparedness the same day as the flooding. In her presentation, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the tragedy as “the dramatic reality of climate change.” She added that to prepare for major threats including climate change, Europe needed a multi-layered approach – a “whole-government approach,” but with local, regional, national and EU resources.
All EU countries are equipped with an alert or warning system
Under a 2018 directive, all member countries of the EU are required to have an alert system via text message. It would seem that this was not put into place appropriately and it begs questions about how efficient systems are, if countries are not well-informed on how to best manage them. For a warning system to be efficient, both the sender and the recipient need to understand the process. Many citizens who did receive the warning did not know how to act or react. Lars Lowinski, a severe weather expert from Weather & Radar said: “If any component of this fails, then people may be in danger and potentially lose their life.” He urged for greater awareness surrounding adverse weather conditions and the importance of understanding the implications and realities of weather warnings, alert systems and protocols.
Why did the warning system fail in Valencia floods?
In Valencia’s case, there were warnings but by the time they arrived from the regional civil protection agency, some vilages were already flooded. People underestimated the gravity of the emergency, which was also an issue. In the absence of real context, it is difficult for citizens to envisage the severity of heavy rainfall, not least the full-blown scale of an impeding natural disaster.