Rainfall Disaster Killing over 205 people in Eastern Spain
By Andrea Sanchez Benitez
Sustainability Editor
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), CO2 concentrations have increased by more than 11% in just two decades. The consequences of these climate changes continue to perturb and destroy people’s lives. The U.S. Government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment confirms that human-amplified climate change contributes to increases in the frequency and intensity of the heaviest precipitation events.
From Tuesday, October 29th, to Wednesday, October 30th, the regions stretching from Malaga to Valencia, Spain, experienced what was declared by CBC News “the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory. A heavy rainstorm of a year’s worth of rainfall happened in just eight hours, causing chaos. Food swept away cars, villages turned into rivers, loved ones disappeared, and it was a nightmare for the region’s citizens. The areas of Andalucia and Valencia were under Red Alerts on Wednesday.
“Yesterday was the worst day of my life […] We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to 3 metres (9.8 feet),” said Ricardo Gabaldón, the mayor of Utiel to RTVE on Wednesday.”
As of October 30th, at 2:22 pm, the reported death count was 95 people. This number is likely to rise with regions yet to report victims and people still missing.
“We are facing a very difficult situation,” declared Minister of Territory Policies Ángel Víctor Torres. “The fact that we can’t give a number of the missing persons indicates the magnitude of the tragedy.”
Spain recorded record-high temperatures in recent years. Scientists explain that the increase in extreme weather is likely linked to the climate change crisis. Spain has not yet recovered from extreme drought, making it challenging for land to absorb these high volumes of rainfall.
“Everything is a total wreck; everything is ready to be thrown away. The mud is almost 30 centimetres deep.”, Christian Viena, a bar owner in the Valencian village of Barrio de la Torre, said to CTV News. Another citizen reported having the water reach his waist.
On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed Europe’s lack of preparation for the consequences of the climate crisis: “Spain’s deadliest floods in decades are another harrowing reminder that Europe is unprepared for the consequences of a superheated atmosphere”. “This is the dramatic reality of climate change. And we must prepare to deal with it,” she said.