It resembled a tsunami.”
The flash floods that swept through the area Tuesday night killed at least 95 people, including the 21-year-old from Paiporta, which is close to Valencia.
On Tuesday night, the water surged in while he and his dad were traveling on the freeway. By abandoning their car to the wrath of the floodwaters and scaling a bridge, they managed to survive.
Despite hours of intense rain, many people, including Guillermo Serrano Pérez and his family, were unprepared for the severity of the floods.
As the blame game continues, the timing of Spain’s flood alert is being scrutinized.
In eight hours, a year’s worth of rain fell on the Spanish region.
Scientists claim that although the warning indicators were there, climate change made the floods in Spain worse.
The Valencia region was expected to experience heavy rainfall, according to a warning from Spain’s meteorological service Aemet on Tuesday morning at around 7:00 (06:00 GMT).
“Take extreme caution! It’s quite dangerous! Before issuing a “maximum red alert,” it stated on X, “Do not travel unless absolutely necessary.”
Additional alerts were issued throughout the day, cautioning local authorities to keep people away from the riverbanks.
By 15:20, the regional emergencies coordination center was already publishing images of highly flooded streets in the west of the city towns of La Fuente and Utiel.
