They left on the night of Saturday, November 9, a truck loaded with donations collected from Biterrois solidaires, to reach Paiporta, a disaster area in the Valencia region, hard hit by the floods. After a week of volunteering, the three friends are back in Biterrois. Testimony
Leaving Adissan on the evening of Saturday, November 9, aboard a truck loaded with donations from Biterrois solidarity, collected over several days, the three volunteer firefighter friends, Jérémy, Célian and Aurélien arrived at their destination the next day, at the stroke of 5 h 30, in the town of Paiporta, in the Valencia region, heavily affected by floods.
Barely on site, they were able to join the rescue teams supervised by the Spanish military and firefighters, and undertook an initial search, equipped with a flashing light for their vehicle. They, who had prepared to arrive on difficult terrain, did not expect such a spectacle of desolation. “A catastrophic situation, we didn’t expect this picture, close to a war scene, with overturned cars, mud everywhere…” confides Jérémy Jodar, who initiated this voluntary mission, and who will keep this first outing in his memory and in his flesh: “There was the smell of death. Even though we have already experienced that, it was striking, I lost my sense of smell… I thought it was psychological and that it would come back but for now I haven’t found it yet.”.
“It was risky, we had water up to our waists, sometimes up to our shoulders”
They immediately put on their diving suits, a sine qua non condition for their progress in this flooded environment. “Fortunately we had anticipated by taking the suits, we would not have been as useful without it” confides Jérémy, who remembers their very first mission: “help a resident evacuate water from their home”.
Subsequently, the three Biterrois used their know-how as volunteer firefighters, but also as electricians, agricultural workers and nurses, to go into the basements, the underground spaces, the parking lots which had not been visited. They were able to repair electrical installations, block access to elevators, or even provide psychological assistance to residents weakened by the trauma. “We had our heads in the handlebars, we kept going, now that we’re back, we realize a little of everything we did. It was risky, we had water up to our waists, sometimes up to ‘shoulders when we were in the elevators, we spent a week in the mud.’
A new departure planned for early December
From this difficult mission, Jérémy retains the recognition and thanks of the inhabitants, touched by their dedication, and their resilience, in the face of the tragedy of the loss of their home, and sometimes of loved ones. At night, the three friends slept in a sheltered area, on their inflatable mattress. Their nights fragmented by worry during the red alerts, when the rain started again, and by difficult memories of bodies found lifeless in the underground passages. Despite everything, they plan to return to Spain at the beginning of December to deliver the remaining donations.
