Volunteers and residents cleaning the mud from the streets in an area affected by floods in Paiporta. — AP
THEY came by bus, by tractor or on foot. They waded through mud hoping to help clean up neighbourhoods washed away by floodwaters that have killed at least 214 people.
Thousands of Spanish citizens made their way to flood-ravaged Valencia after the country’s worst natural disaster in recent history left the nation shocked by images of overturned cars and brick homes torn apart by furious water.
The devastation has become a political flashpoint and brought home fears about the effects of climate change.
Many people in Paiporta, an epicentre of the destruction, were still waiting for basic supplies from emergency services – and for news of their missing loved ones.
The grief, fear and anger erupted into frustration as emergency workers raced to find survivors.
But while the military, the police, and civil guard officers searched through the debris, civilians joined in the cleaning effort wherever they could, determined to help Valencia and surrounding regions rebuild and to help their citizens recover.
Last week, a parade of tractors rolled into urban Valencia, a province on Spain’s eastern shoreline, driven by farmers from around the region who had come to help clear debris.
“The countryside is once again showing its solidarity,” Valencia’s agricultural association said on social media.
With major roads in Valencia province closed to vehicles, many decided to walk, carrying brooms, rakes, and buckets, according to footage aired by Spanish broadcasters. A sea of people crossed the bridge to Paiporta, where mud still clogged the streets after a river burst its banks.
In urban Valencia, the city’s celebrated soccer club offered Mestalla Stadium as an emergency centre where citizens could drop off bags of food, clothes, and bottles of water. City officials and volunteers also set up a food bank, serving food along the stadium’s main entrance.
“The image of Mestalla filled with people coming together, arriving to donate products, and applauding each time a truck leaves full of food and basic necessities, will be unforgettable,” said Javier Solís, the club’s corporate director.
Alongside star players like José Gayà and Jaume Doménech, fans and volunteers sorted and packed food destined for devastated neighbourhoods. Candela Reig Moril, an industrial engineering student who lives in central Valencia, helped coordinate university students who wanted to help, and ended up working with hundreds of people who wanted to do something for their city.
“Many of them come crying because of this huge, unexpected catastrophe,” Reig Moril, 21, said. “The little children have even come to deliver their toys. It’s very touching to see everybody so willing to show solidarity.”
Volunteers have used social media or message boards set up in response to the disaster to find out how they can help. They have offered beds for displaced families or shelter for pets, and have volunteered their professional skills, from logistics management to cooking.
Claudia Orts García, a nursing assistant, used a message board to collect food, medication, and feminine hygiene products. She and her partner drove from Dénia, a port town south of Valencia city, to the worst affected areas, where they were going to deliver the donated supplies. Some friends who also wanted to help had asked to ride along. Orts García said she was also offering medical assistance where possible.
“We will lend a hand in everything that is necessary,” she said.
Amid the rush to help those in need, there was also a wave of criticism directed at the Spanish government. Parts of Valencia were doused in a year’s worth of rain in just eight hours and some said government warnings came too late. Other victims said rescue workers and the police took too long to respond to the disaster.
For Toni Zamorano, who was trapped on the roof of his car for hours as rain fell, the volunteers have become a lifeline. In the town of Sedaví, houses and businesses were completely flooded. Zamorano said he has lost everything.
Were it not for the volunteers who work from sunrise to sunset, he would not have clothes, food and water, he said. Not only have the volunteers provided the basic necessities, they have also restored his faith in humanity, he said.
“I feel that humanity is still capable of forgetting its differences. Here, race or economic level don’t matter,” he said. “This solidarity makes you feel great, then you close your eyes when you sleep, you remember everything you have seen and you understand the magnitude of this tragedy.” — ©2024 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
