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SEDAVI, Spain (AP) — Francisco Murgui went outside to try to save his motorcycle when the water began to rise. He never came back.
SEDAVI, Spain (AP) — Francisco Murgui went outside to try to save his motorcycle when the water began to rise.
He never came back.
A week after catastrophic floods devastated eastern SpainMaría Murgui still harbors the hope that her father is still alive and among the unknown number of missing.
“He was like many people in the city who went out to get their car or motorcycle to safety,” the 27-year-old told The Associated Press. “The flash flood hit him outside and he had to cling to a tree to escape drowning. He called us to tell us he was doing well and not to worry.”
But when María took to the streets of Sedaví to try to save him from the water washes away everything in its pathhe was nowhere to be seen.
“He lasted until 1 o’clock in the morning,” she said. “At two o’clock I went out with a neighbor and a rope to locate him. But we couldn’t find him. And we haven’t heard anything about him since.”
At least 218 deaths have been confirmed after a deluge caused by heavy rains late October 29 that engulfed entire communities the next morning, mainly in Spain’s Valencia region, overwhelming most. Regional authorities have been heavily criticized for sending alerts to mobile phones about two hours after the disaster began.
Authorities have not yet provided an estimate of the missing seven days. However, Spanish state broadcaster RTVE has shown a steady stream of calls from people looking for unknown relatives.
María Murgui herself posted a missing person message on social media with a photo of her father, a 57-year-old retiree.
“This is like being on a roller coaster. Sometimes I feel really bad and sometimes I feel better. I try to stay positive,” she said. “This is truly madness. We don’t know what else to do. And no one else in town.”
The central government approves an aid package
As many search for their loved ones, massive recovery efforts in Sedaví and dozens of other communities have been moving slowly.
To help people in need, the central government on Tuesday approved an aid package of 10.6 billion euros for 78 communities. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez compared it to the measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The package includes direct payments of 20,000 to 60,000 euros to owners of damaged homes, in addition to other financial support to companies and municipal authorities.
“We still have a lot of work to do, and we know that,” Sánchez said.
Sánchez said he will ask the European Union to help pay for the aid, saying that “it is time for the European Union to help.”
Many people are still left without basic goods amid scenes of devastation
The floods are left behind post-apocalyptic scenes.
It is street after street, in city after city still covered in thick brown mud and piles of destroyed property, clumps of rotting vegetation and wrecked vehicles. There’s a stench coming from the mud.
In many places, people are still facing shortages of basic goods, with lines forming at makeshift emergency kitchens and stalls to distribute food. The water is flowing again, but authorities say it is not drinkable.
The ground floors of thousands of houses have been destroyed. There are fears that some vehicles washed away by water or locked in underground garages may contain bodies waiting to be recovered.
Thousands of soldiers are working alongside firefighters and police reinforcements in the immense emergency response. Officers and troops search the destroyed homes, the countless cars scattered across highways and streets, or stuck in the mud of canals and gorges.
Authorities are concerned about other health problems caused by the aftermath of the deadliest natural disaster in Spain’s recent history. They have urged people to get tetanus shots and treat any wounds to prevent infections and remove the mud from their skin. Many people wear face masks.
Thousands of volunteers help and fill the void left by the authorities. But frustration over crisis management boiled over on Sunday when a crowd turned out in hard-hit Paiporta threw mud and other objects at the Spanish royal familySánchez and regional officials as they made their first visit to the epicenter of the flood damage.
Sánchez’s national government will announce a new aid package on Tuesday.
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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.
Hernán Muñoz and Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press