Floods in Spain: at least 213 dead and new military reinforcements

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced on Saturday the sending of 10,000 additional soldiers and police officers to the south-east of the country to come to the aid of the victims and help in the search for the missing, four days after the floods which left at least 213 dead.

In total, 5,000 soldiers more will be deployed on the ground to deal with what constitutes the largest natural disaster in the recent history of our countryannounced Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a statement from the Moncloa Palace, his official residence. This figure brings to 7,500 the number of soldiers mobilized in the disaster areas, i.e. the largest deployment of armed forces ever carried out in Spain in peacetimeinsisted the head of government, who will visit the affected areas on Sunday with King Felipe VI. To these soldiers will be added 5,000 police officers, responsible for supporting their 5,000 colleagues already on the ground, according to Mr. Sánchez . Reinforcements eagerly awaited in certain localities still facing a chaotic situation.

A still provisional assessment

According to a latest report from the emergency services released on Saturday evening, a total of 213 people died due to the torrential rains which fell overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in the south-east of the country. Among them, 210 died in the Valencia region, two in Castile-la-Mancha and one in Andalusia.

However, the authorities have warned in recent days that this toll could rise, while the carcasses of cars accumulated in the tunnels and underground parking lots of the most affected areas are now methodically examined.

On Friday, a woman was found alive in her car, stuck for three days in an underground passage in the suburbs of Valencia, according to a civil protection official. According to the daily The Countryshe was next to her dead daughter-in-law when the emergency services took care of her.

If the chances of finding survivors are now running out, the priority of soldiers and police remains, according to the government, the search for the missing, with the restoration of roads and infrastructure to allow delivery aid and recovery of essential services.

According to the authorities, more than 2,000 damaged cars and trucks have already been removed. Electricity has also been restored to 94% of residents who had been deprived of it, and telecommunications are gradually being restored.

In the suburbs of Valencia, search and cleaning operations continued throughout the day, in a heavy atmosphere. There is nothing leftlamented Mario Silvestre, a resident of Chiva resigned at the sight of the damage.

In his town, where some 17,000 inhabitants live, there are no soldiers, but many police officers responsible for patrolling the streets where many houses are destroyed. Politicians promise a lot, but help only comes when it arrivesbreathes this octogenarian.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday evening, the conservative president of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazon, announced a battery of economic aid and promised the return of order, while acts of looting were reported in several stores, leading to the arrest of 82 people.

There are people who may have felt alone, helpless, unprotected and I understand that.recognized the elected official. But I want to send a clear message, we will help all households which require it, he continued. We are facing the challenge of our lives and we are going to find the solutions..

The regional government of Valencia, and Carlos Mazon in particular, is the subject of insistent criticism for having sent a late telephone alert message to residents on Tuesday, while the National Meteorological Agency (AEMET) had placed the region in red alert from the morning.

Criticisms rejected by Mr. Mazon, who ensures that he followed the protocol in force and highlighted on Saturday the spirit of solidarity of the population of his region in the face of adversity.

In the affected towns, the outpouring of solidarity continued on Saturday, particularly in the southern suburbs of Valencia, where thousands of people flocked on foot on Saturday morning with shovels and brooms to support the population.

On Friday, the number of volunteers was such that the authorities called on residents to stay at home and banned traffic on certain roads to prevent the roads used by emergency services from being congested.