NASA observatory releases satellite photo to illustrate extent of damage in Valencia

1,100 people were deployed by a military unit to reinforce flood relief operations.

Satellite images which illustrate the extent of the disaster

The loss of life and material damage in eastern Spain due to recent floods appears unprecedented. Unexpected rains fell on Valencia and its region. Muddy water invaded towns and homes. The toll is heavy: it is the deadliest disaster for a European country since 1967.

On October 30, 2024, NASA satellite images, captured by Landsat 8’s OLI (Operational Land Imager), captured the extent of the damage by capturing the city and suburbs of Valencia before and after the disaster. In the photo from October 30, we see “widespread flooding of urban and agricultural lands”. The first photo dates from October 25, 2022.

Aid of 31.4 billion euros requested from the Spanish government

According to the Spanish meteorological agency, AEMET, in Chiva it rained the equivalent of 50 centimeters of rain in eight hours. The waters of these floods caused the Turia River and the coastal wetlands of L’Albufera to overflow. In addition to the deaths, railway lines, roads and bridges were damaged. Until last Thursday, thousands of people were still without internet access.

After the floods suffered by the municipality of Valence and its region on the night of October 29 to 30, causing 210 deaths according to a provisional report, the time has now come to anger, to sadness motivated by the feeling of helplessness, and to solidarity. The president of the region recently requested aid of 31.4 billion euros from the Spanish government so that residents could buy a car, rebuild their homes, etc.

DANA, the person responsible for the floods

At the origin of these disasters, a meteorological phenomenon, “DANA”, the acronym of isolated depression at high levelsor high-functioning isolated depression in French, according to The Conversation. They are occurring more frequently and more intensely in response to the destabilization of the polar jet stream and global warming.

“The winds may not be as strong as a hurricane, but in terms of precipitation and intensity, they can even surpass them. These events can cause material damage and human losses as significant as those of an average hurricane,” Jorge Olcina, director of the climatology laboratory at the University of Alicante, told Live Science.