As Spain grapples with its deadliest flood disaster in decades, tensions are escalating in the devastated Valencian suburb of Paiporta where vigilante groups have begun patrolling the streets to curb what they say are rampant post-flood robberies.
Following record-breaking floods that claimed over 200 lives across Spain, residents in some of the hardest-hit areas have turned to self-policing, frustrated by what they see as a lacklustre official response.
Groups of local men—some donning nationalist symbols—are patrolling rubble-strewn, poorly lit streets, seeking to prevent further victimisation by deterring alleged looters, Reuters has reported.
The suburb of Valencia where the stick-wielding men are patrolling is where the king and queen of Spain were pelted with mud.
As search and rescue operations continue, authorities are using sniffer dogs to comb through a submerged underground carpark at a shopping centre on the outskirts of the city, where severe flooding left vehicles and the structure underwater.
As police teams pump out the floodwaters and search through the roughly 50 waterlogged vehicles discovered so far, no bodies have yet been found.
Survivors described the terrifying event to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo as “a nightmare” and “worse” than the “tsunami movie” with shop assistants recounting how they narrowly escaped as torrents of water surged into the complex.
Key points
- Spain approves 10.6 billion-euro relief package
- Rescuers frantically dig for missing in underground shopping centre
- Sanchez launches 10.6 billion euro aid plan
Rescuers fear discovering underwater grave in mall car park
Monday 4 November 2024 18:30 , Barney DavisIn Valencia, the search continued for bodies inside houses and thousands of wrecked cars strewn in the streets, on highways, and in canals that channelled last week’s floods into populated areas.
Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that authorities can still not give a reliable estimate of the missing. In the Aldaia municipality, some 50 soldiers, police and firefighters, some wearing wetsuits, searched in a huge shopping centre’s underground parking lot for possible victims.
They used a small boat and spotlights to move around in the huge structure with vehicles submerged in at least a meter of murky water.
Police spokesman Ricardo Gutiïerrez told reporters that so far some 50 vehicles had been found and no bodies had been discovered there.
The Bonaire shopping mall’s 1,800 underground parking spaces quickly filled with water and mud on Tuesday and Wednesday when the southern outskirts of Valencia were hit by a tsunami-like flooding. The team is using four pumps to remove the water.
Hard-hit towns at risk of diseases over floodwaters and decomposing bodies
Monday 4 November 2024 19:10 , Salma OuaguiraSpanish public health experts have warned over immediate health risks associated with stagnant floodwaters and decomposing bodies.
The Ministry of Health has insisted that water contamination from dead animals or humans is not currently a public health issue.
However, residents remain at high risk over gastrointestinal illnesses from drinking contaminated water, injuries from debris, and the proliferation of mosquitoes spreading diseases.
Public health societies, emergency response teams, and NGOs are currently working on the ground in the most affected areas like Paiporta and Chiva in Valencia to ensure the safety and hygiene of residents.
With dozens more feared to be dead, health officials have called local authorities to speed up search of bodies and clean-up operations to prevent further risks.
Nearly 3,000 dead animals removed from flooded farms
Monday 4 November 2024 20:10 , Barney DavisThe Spanish Ministry of Agriculture has removed over 2,950 dead animals from farms in areas hit by the flash floods.
Local officials removed deceased animals from 17 farms in Valencia towns, including pigs, sheep horses and poultry
Catalan Police post harrowing video of desperate rescue
Monday 4 November 2024 20:40 , Barney DavisCatalan Police have posted a video of a desperate rescue of a man trapped in his car in Baix Llobregat, a coastal region just south of Barcelona.
Catalan Civil Protectionissued a mobile phone alert to residents in Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Garraf, Maresme, Vallès Occidental, Vallès Oriental, and Selva counties urging people to limit movement and avoid approaching riverbanks or ravines on Monday morning.
The first message was issued at 8.30am in Baix Llobregat before hours of heavy rainfall affected surrounding areas.
👮♀️ Hem rescatat un home atrapat al cotxe en una zona inundada a causa de la #DANA, al Baix Llobregat
— Mossos (@mossos) November 4, 2024
🚗 En cas de pluges torrencials, evita desplaçaments i no agafis el vehicle. Segueix les indicacions d'@emergenciescat
📲 I per demanar ajuda, contacta amb el @112 pic.twitter.com/6VXBqM75OF
Grandaughter of British couple killed in Spanish floods speaks out
Monday 4 November 2024 21:30 , Barney DavisDon Turner, 78, and his wife Terry, 74, had not been seen since flash floods swept through eastern Spain.
Their daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, confirmed to the BBC that her parents’ bodies had been found in their car on Saturday.
She had said her parents had moved to Spain a decade ago because they had “always wanted to live in the sunshine” and criticised the “diabolicial” response from Spanish authorities.
Her neice wrote on Facebook: “This tragedy that will haunt us for a lifetime. If only the people knew the floods were coming. We will never forget.
“Thank you Mom and Auntie Ruth for being so strong and doing the family, and Nan and Grandad proud.
“We love you.”
In pictures: Spanish residents band together in aftermath of flooding
Monday 4 November 2024 22:00 , Barney Davis
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says all football games should have been cancelled
Monday 4 November 2024 23:10 , Barney DavisFootball games should not have been played at the weekend after the deadly floods, the Real Madrid manager has said.
“Football should have stopped this weekend,” Carlo Ancelotti said.
He added: “Football is a party and you can celebrate when things are going well, but when they’re not going well there’s no celebration to be had. It’s the most important of the unimportant things in life.”
“But we are not the ones in charge and we have zero power”, adding: “All the coaches had the same opinion not to play.”
Valencia households to get €6,000
Tuesday 5 November 2024 00:10 , Barney DavisThe regional head of Valencia, Carlos Mazon, said that his region would separately hand out each household 6,000 euros and make available at least 200,000 euros to help each town face urgent spending needs.
In total, Mazon, of the conservative People’s Party, said the region would request from Spain’s central government a first aid package worth around 31.4 billion euros, including funds to reconstruct key infrastructure.
Locals criticised late alerts from authorities about the dangers and a perceived delayed response by emergency services.
But General Javier Marcos, commander of the army’s emergency response services, said he had ordered 500 soldiers to be deployed within 15 minutes of seeing the flood warning on Tuesday who were able to enter hard-hit areas.
“The degree of destruction is so great that mobility is limited,” he said. “It is so complex that it requires two things: discipline and patience.”
British government drawn up plans to cope with extreme weather following Spain floods
Tuesday 5 November 2024 16:45 , Rachel HaganSir Keir Starmer’s senior ministers have drawn up plans to cope with extreme weather this winter following the devastating floods in Spain.
The cross-government work will ensure “we are domestically as resilient as we possibly can be” over the winter, Downing Street said.
At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband pointed to warnings that 600,000 people in the UK could be at risk of flooding in future because of climate change.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden led the Cabinet briefing on winter preparations, adding that “recent events in Spain were a reminder of the impact that, for example, extreme weather can have on local communities”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’re always preparing for all eventualities, whether it’s the impact of extreme weather, whether it’s impacts on the NHS.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “The link was made to the fact that climate change can result in extreme weather events. We have obviously seen these very devastating scenes in Spain.”
‘It could go down as the greatest day of Felipe’s reign’ Professor reacts to mud slinging at Spanish king
Tuesday 5 November 2024 01:10 , Barney DavisOriol Bartomeus, a political science professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, said of the moment angry Valencia residents threw mud at the king and chased off other politicians.
Speaking of King Felipe’s reaction where he engaged in dialogue with the people, Prof Bartomeus said : “If he had sought protection from his bodyguards and run away, now that would have been the darkest day of his reign.
“Instead he showed why he is king, demonstrating composure and serenity, and by getting as close as he could to the people.”
The 56-year-old Felipe took over a Royal House whose reputation was in tatters after the financial and lifestyle scandals of his father, Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014.
Where the prime minister was pelted and fled Felipe stood his ground for over half an hour. It was impossible to hear what was said, but he spoke to several shouting people in an intimate and apparently serious tone.Bartomeus, who said he is not a fervent defender of the monarchy, noted what the king didn’t do: He didn’t appear to patronise the people.“
He didn’t console the people, like for example you see the British royals do,” Bartomeus said. Instead, “he dialogued with them. He put the state on his back, got down off the pedestal and went down to the people who were telling him that the state had not arrived, and he told them that it will.”
How Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods led to over 200 deaths - explained through pictures
Tuesday 5 November 2024 02:00 , Barney DavisAt least 217 people are dead after Spain was struck by the worst floods in recent memory that submerged towns, toppled bridges and cut entire communities off from the outside world.
The deadly floods left cars piled up like toys in streets, swallowed homes, and covered entire neighbourhoods in sludge and debris. Muddy rivers swept away everything in their path – roads, houses and key infrastructure.
Thousands of people are still facing power and water cuts and shortages of basic goods, especially in the eastern region, the worst affected.
Here’s all we know about the devastating floods, the causes, and the scale of the impact:
How Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods led to over 200 deaths - explained through pictures
Watch: Spain’s king dodges mud from angry crowd in flood-hit Valencia
Tuesday 5 November 2024 03:10 , Barney Davis
Watch: Spain’s king dodges mud from angry crowd in flood-hit Valencia
Video: Passengers walk through water as airport flooded
Tuesday 5 November 2024 04:00 , Stuti MishraImages and videos on social media shows flooding in the terminals of Barcelona’s El Prat Airport, after the city was lashed by fresh rainfall on Monday.At least 70 flights were cancelled and 18 diverted as a result.
Spain’s weather forecaster Aena warned that Barcelona could be hit by another five inches of rain on Monday with some showers falling on flood ravaged Valencia too.
The flooding affected key areas, including the T-1 terminal and parking facilities. Passengers were kept away from these areas while airport staff continued to clear the water and restore normal operations.
Aena said that the storm has significantly disrupted all activities at the airport, resulting in “considerable” delays after air traffic controllers were forced to space out flight departures.
Passengers were advised to check the state of their flights online and prepare for potential delays as the airport continues to manage the impact of the floods.
🇪🇸 | URGENTE: Imágenes del Aeropuerto del Prat en Barcelona. Muchos vuelos se desvían a otros destinos. pic.twitter.com/o8wYoSsg7D
— Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) November 4, 2024
Expat teacher in Spain still trapped after flood waters surround town and food runs out
Tuesday 5 November 2024 05:00 , Stuti MishraAn expat teacher living south of Valencia in Spain says he is unable to leave his town due to being “surrounded by water” following flash flooding in the region.
John Fahy, 55, who lives in a seaside town called Cullera, also reported there being no food in the supermarkets, with no new supplies expected for a while.
“We can’t leave our town because it’s flooded all around,” he said.
“There’s no-one in the shops in Cullera because there’s no food and there won’t be for a while.”
Read the full article here:
Expat teacher in Spain still trapped after flood waters surround town near Valencia
Politicians point the finger over who is to blame for failure to warn residents of fatal floods
Tuesday 5 November 2024 06:10 , Barney DavisSpanish minister Felix Bolanos from the Socialist Party said Tuesday’s cabinet would declare some of the worst hit villages by the floods in the regions of Valencia, Andalusia, Castile La Mancha and Catalonia as “severely affected areas” so that they can be entitled to emergency funds.
He added that the government would approve on Tuesday a package of relief measures to help people cope with the situation without giving further details.
Opposition politicians accused the left-wing central government of acting too slowly to warn residents and send in rescuers.
Mazon on Monday had previously said the Hydrographic Confederation of Jucar (CHJ), which measures the flow of rivers and ravines for the state, had cancelled a planned alert three times.
But Madrid said the CHJ does not issue flood risk alerts, which are the responsibility of Spain’s regional governments.
Protests in Valencia planned for Saturday
Tuesday 5 November 2024 07:00 , Barney DavisUnions and leftwing cultural associations have announced a protest in Valencia on Saturday to call for regional president Carlos Mazon, of the conservative People’s Party, to step down.
A daily protest in Madrid outside the headquarters of Sanchez’s Socialist party drew more people on Sunday, about 600, due to anger over the floods, according to El Pais newspaper.
Opposition politicians accused the left-wing central government of acting too slowly to warn residents and send in rescuers, while Madrid has said regional authorities were responsible for civil protection.
Spain’s king vows to give ‘hope’ after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
Tuesday 5 November 2024 08:00 , Stuti Mishra
Spain’s king responds after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
Rescuers frantically dig for missing in underground shopping centre
Tuesday 5 November 2024 09:58 , Rachel HaganRescue teams in Valencia are intensifying their search efforts in a submerged underground carpark at a shopping centre, where severe flooding left vehicles and the structure underwater.
Fatalities from Spain’s worst flash floods in modern history rose to 217 with almost all of them in the Valencia region and more than 60 in the suburb of Paiporta. Hundreds are still missing.
Following the record-breaking flash floods, emergency services are working around the clock to clear out the 1,800-space underground car park, where sudden, tsunami-like flooding caught staff and shoppers by surprise.
Emergency crews are navigating murky waters to locate potential victims at the shopping centre, using boats to access areas where at least a metre of water remains.
As police teams pump out the floodwaters and search through the roughly 50 waterlogged vehicles discovered so far, no bodies have yet been found.
Survivors described the terrifying event to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo as “a nightmare” and “worse” than the “tsunami movie” with shop assistants recounting how they narrowly escaped as torrents of water surged into the complex.
Latest in pictures
Tuesday 5 November 2024 10:42 , Rachel Hagan
Survivors describe tsunami-like horror of shopping centre flooding
Tuesday 5 November 2024 11:04 , Rachel HaganDivers are still searching for bodies in the flooded underground car park of the Bonaire shopping centre in Valencia.
Emergency crews are navigating murky waters to locate potential victims at the shopping centre, using boats to access areas where at least a metre of water remains.
Survivors described the terrifying event to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo as “a nightmare” and “worse” than the “tsunami movie” with shop assistants recounting how they narrowly escaped as torrents of water surged into the complex as people were throwing up and having panic attacks.
Bonair is equivalent in size to 100 football fields with 123 shops including Zara and H&M, 34 restaurants, a bowling alley and 12-screen cinema.
One local wrote on social media: “I was lucky enough to be able to get my car out of the underground car park because they told us to evacuate. When I drove mine out there were still people and around 30 cars. It makes me frightened to think what they’ll find when they drain it.”
Satellite imagery reveals scale of devastation
Tuesday 5 November 2024 11:13 , Rachel HaganSatellite imagery has revealed before and after views of the disastrous Valencia floods. It shows green plains turned into a deluge of mud.
Body of one of the four missing people in Letur, Albacete, recovered
Tuesday 5 November 2024 11:44 , Rachel HaganFlooding in Spain happened along a line stretching from the Bay of Cadiz to Valencia. But some areas were more affected than others with torrential rain in Letur in Albacete, where troops have been deployed for search and rescue operations.
Rescuers today confirmed they discovered the body of a man who was one of the four missing people in Letur.
In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe, three bodies were found in Letur: two women aged 70 and 92.
Spain deploys 14,898 police officers, troops in areas hit by flash floods
Tuesday 5 November 2024 12:10 , Rachel HaganSpain has deployed 14,898 police officers and soldiers in the areas hit by flash floods last week, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.
British couple missing for days in Spain floods found dead in car
Tuesday 5 November 2024 12:30 , Rachel HaganA British couple has been found dead in their car days after severe flash floods swept through Spain.
Don Turner, 78, and his wife Terry, 74, had not been seen since Tuesday, when torrential rains began to batter Valencia. Ms Turner had told friends that they were “popping out” to shop for supplies.
The couple’s daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, confirmed the bodies were discovered on Saturday. Ms O’Loughlin told BBC Radio WM that she found out her parents had died after receiving a message from their friends asking to call them.
British couple missing for days in Spain floods found dead in car
Spain’s king vows to give ‘hope’ after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
Tuesday 5 November 2024 13:00 , Rachel HaganSpain’s king has vowed to give “hope” after angry residents threw mud at him during his visit to a flood-stricken town in Valencia.
The king’s comments came during a visit to the epicentre of their nation’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory, where a crowd of enraged locals hurled clots of mud left by the storm-spawned flooding at Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia.
Spain’s king responds after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
Sanchez launches 10.6 billion euro aid plan
Tuesday 5 November 2024 13:39 , Rachel HaganSpain‘s prime minister Pedro Sanchez approved a 10.6-billion-euro (£8.9 billion) relief package for 78 communities.
Outlining the plans, he compared them to measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic and said they include direct payments of 20,000 euros to 60,000 euros to owners of damaged homes, among other financial aid for businesses and municipal governments.
Mr Sanchez said he would ask the European Union to help pay for the relief.
Vigilante groups patrol Spain’s flood-hit areas at night
Tuesday 5 November 2024 14:04 , Rachel HaganVigilante groups, angry at authorities’ response to Spain‘s worst flood disaster in decades, have taken to the streets of the Valencian suburb of Paiporta to prevent what they say are widespread robberies and looting after dark.
The informally organised groups of stick-wielding locals are patrolling one of the worst-affected areas, where more than 60 out of at least 217 victims of the disaster died.
Martin, 19, told Reuters that he and his friends were taking the law into their own hands because they believed police were not carrying out their duty to maintain public safety.
“We’re patrolling because we don’t want our neighbours to feel the insecurity they’ve been feeling the past few days due to various robberies,” he said. “People have already lost enough.”
Public anger has mounted over what residents say was a slow and insufficient response by authorities, which led to King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez being pelted with mud during their visit on Sunday.
British government drawn up plans to cope with extreme weather following Spain floods
Tuesday 5 November 2024 14:49 , Rachel HaganSir Keir Starmer’s senior ministers have drawn up plans to cope with extreme weather this winter following the devastating floods in Spain.
The cross-government work will ensure “we are domestically as resilient as we possibly can be” over the winter, Downing Street said.
At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband pointed to warnings that 600,000 people in the UK could be at risk of flooding in future because of climate change.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden led the Cabinet briefing on winter preparations, adding that “recent events in Spain were a reminder of the impact that, for example, extreme weather can have on local communities”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’re always preparing for all eventualities, whether it’s the impact of extreme weather, whether it’s impacts on the NHS.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “The link was made to the fact that climate change can result in extreme weather events. We have obviously seen these very devastating scenes in Spain.”
Spanish police seek DNA samples for missing,
Tuesday 5 November 2024 16:26 , Rachel HaganSpain's national guard on Tuesday asked relatives of people missing in deadly floods to provide DNA samples to identify bodies, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was earmarking 10.6 billion euros ($11.6 billion) to help victims.
The government has declined to say how many people are missing almost a week on from the disaster. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said only that it was a “significant number” and that in the absence of clear information, it was “best not to specify”.
Survivors describe tsunami-like horror of shopping centre flooding
Tuesday 5 November 2024 17:30 , Rachel HaganDivers are still searching for bodies in the flooded underground car park of the Bonaire shopping centre in Valencia.
Emergency crews are navigating murky waters to locate potential victims at the shopping centre, using boats to access areas where at least a metre of water remains.
Survivors described the terrifying event to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo as “a nightmare” and “worse” than the “tsunami movie” with shop assistants recounting how they narrowly escaped as torrents of water surged into the complex as people were throwing up and having panic attacks.
Bonair is equivalent in size to 100 football fields with 123 shops including Zara and H&M, 34 restaurants, a bowling alley and 12-screen cinema.
One local wrote on social media: “I was lucky enough to be able to get my car out of the underground car park because they told us to evacuate. When I drove mine out there were still people and around 30 cars. It makes me frightened to think what they’ll find when they drain it.”
Body of one of the four missing people in Letur, Albacete, recovered
Tuesday 5 November 2024 18:30 , Rachel HaganBody of one of the four missing people in Letur, Albacete, recovered
Flooding in Spain happened along a line stretching from the Bay of Cadiz to Valencia. But some areas were more affected than others with torrential rain in Letur in Albacete, where troops have been deployed for search and rescue operations.
Rescuers today confirmed they discovered the body of a man who was one of the four missing people in Letur.
In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe, three bodies were found in Letur: two women aged 70 and 92.
Hard-hit towns at risk of diseases over floodwaters and decomposing bodies
Tuesday 5 November 2024 19:30 , Rachel HaganSpanish public health experts have warned over immediate health risks associated with stagnant floodwaters and decomposing bodies.
The Ministry of Health has insisted that water contamination from dead animals or humans is not currently a public health issue.
However, residents remain at high risk over gastrointestinal illnesses from drinking contaminated water, injuries from debris, and the proliferation of mosquitoes spreading diseases.
Public health societies, emergency response teams, and NGOs are currently working on the ground in the most affected areas like Paiporta and Chiva in Valencia to ensure the safety and hygiene of residents.
With dozens more feared to be dead, health officials have called local authorities to speed up search of bodies and clean-up operations to prevent further risks.
Latest pictures of clean up
Tuesday 5 November 2024 20:30 , Rachel Hagan
What caused the devastating flash flooding in Spain?
Tuesday 5 November 2024 21:30 , Rachel HaganFloods left cars piled up like toys in streets, swallowed homes, and covered entire neighbourhoods in sludge as authorities report 217 fatalities
A week after Spain's floods, families hold out hope that loved ones are not among the dead
Tuesday 5 November 2024 22:30 , The Associated PressFrancisco Murgui went out to try to salvage his motorbike when the water started to rise. He never came back.One week after catastrophic flooding devasted eastern Spain, Maria Murgui still holds out hope that her father is alive and among the unknown number of the missing.“He was like many people in town who went out to get their car or motorbike to safety,” the 27-year-old told The Associated Press. “The flash flood caught him outside, and he had to cling to a tree in order to escape drowning. He called us to tell us he was fine, that we shouldn’t worry.”
But when Maria set out into the streets to try to rescue him from the water washing away everything in its path, he was nowhere to be found.“He held up until 1 in the morning,” she said. “By 2, I went outside with a neighbor and a rope to try to locate him. But we couldn’t find him. And since then, we haven’t heard anything about him.”
Spanish police seek DNA samples for missing,
Tuesday 5 November 2024 23:30 , Rachel HaganSpain’s national guard on Tuesday asked relatives of people missing in deadly floods to provide DNA samples to identify bodies, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was earmarking 10.6 billion euros ($11.6 billion) to help victims.
The government has declined to say how many people are missing almost a week on from the disaster. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said only that it was a “significant number” and that in the absence of clear information, it was “best not to specify”.
Spain’s king vows to give ‘hope’ after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
00:30 , Rachel HaganSpain’s king has vowed to give “hope” after angry residents threw mud at him during his visit to a flood-stricken town in Valencia.
The king’s comments came during a visit to the epicentre of their nation’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory, where a crowd of enraged locals hurled clots of mud left by the storm-spawned flooding at Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia.
Spain’s king responds after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
British couple missing for days in Spain floods found dead in car
01:30 , Rachel HaganA British couple has been found dead in their car days after severe flash floods swept through Spain.
Don Turner, 78, and his wife Terry, 74, had not been seen since Tuesday, when torrential rains began to batter Valencia. Ms Turner had told friends that they were “popping out” to shop for supplies.
The couple’s daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, confirmed the bodies were discovered on Saturday. Ms O’Loughlin told BBC Radio WM that she found out her parents had died after receiving a message from their friends asking to call them.
Spanish banks to withstand impact of recent floods, central bank says
02:30 , Jesús AguadoSpanish banks have a loan exposure of about 20 billion euros ($21.80 billion) in areas worst-hit by floods, but will be able to absorb the shock, a Bank of Spain official said on Tuesday, adding climate risks were materialising faster than thought. At least 217 people died and many are still unaccounted for in the worst flooding in decades in Spain.
"This is a shock that, for a financial system, a banking system such as the one in Spain, is something that can be absorbed," Angel Estrada, the bank's head of financial stability, said.
Estrada said that Spanish banks' exposures to areas worst hit by floods in the regions of Valencia, Andalusia, Castile La Mancha and Catalonia would rise to around 13 billion euros in loans to households and around 7 billion euros to companies.
Presenting the central bank's financial stability report, Estrada said these were the total exposures and would "not all materialise into losses".
In total, the central bank has identified 23,000 companies with outstanding loans and 472,000 loan holders in those regions, of which 150,000 were mortgage contracts on which the banks are already offering loan moratoriums.
The head of financial stability said it was still too early to assess the economic impact of the floods though acknowledged that there had been a more "significant destruction of capital" compared to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also said it was imperative to implement measures to help the worst affected cope with the situation and boost a fast economic recovery.
Estrada also noted that the floods in Spain had shown climate change was happening faster than previously expected and that banks should focus on measuring physical risks not just transition risks. The European Central Bank has long complained that banks are not meeting its supervisory expectations on climate change and has begun issuing fine notices to lenders not meeting its long-defined expectations on disclosing climate risks.
Satellite imagery reveals scale of devastation
03:30 , Rachel HaganSatellite imagery has revealed before and after views of the disastrous Valencia floods. It shows green plains turned into a deluge of mud.
Spain approves 10.6 billion-euro relief package
04:30 , Rachel HaganSpain's central government approved a 10.6-billion-euro (£8.9 billion) relief package for 78 communities on Tuesday that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez compared with measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic.
They include direct payments of 20,000 euros to 60,000 euros to owners of damaged homes, among other financial aid for businesses and municipal governments.
"We have a lot of work left to do, and we know it," Mr Sanchez said.
Mr Sanchez said he will ask the European Union to help pay for the relief.
Politicians point the finger over who is to blame for failure to warn residents of fatal floods
05:30 , Rachel HaganSpanish minister Felix Bolanos from the Socialist Party said Tuesday’s cabinet would declare some of the worst hit villages by the floods in the regions of Valencia, Andalusia, Castile La Mancha and Catalonia as “severely affected areas” so that they can be entitled to emergency funds.
He added that the government would approve on Tuesday a package of relief measures to help people cope with the situation without giving further details.
Opposition politicians accused the left-wing central government of acting too slowly to warn residents and send in rescuers.
Mazon on Monday had previously said the Hydrographic Confederation of Jucar (CHJ), which measures the flow of rivers and ravines for the state, had cancelled a planned alert three times.
But Madrid said the CHJ does not issue flood risk alerts, which are the responsibility of Spain’s regional governments.
Expat teacher in Spain still trapped after flood waters surround town and food runs out
06:30 , Rachel HaganAn expat teacher living south of Valencia in Spain says he is unable to leave his town due to being “surrounded by water” following flash flooding in the region.
John Fahy, 55, who lives in a seaside town called Cullera, also reported there being no food in the supermarkets, with no new supplies expected for a while.
“We can’t leave our town because it’s flooded all around,” he said.
“There’s no-one in the shops in Cullera because there’s no food and there won’t be for a while.”
Expat teacher in Spain still trapped after flood waters surround town near Valencia
Spain floods mapped: Where are weather alerts in force as death toll hits 217?
07:30 , Rachel HaganYellow weather warnings for rain are in force in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region a day after Barcelona was hit by fresh flooding following the country’s worst natural disaster in living memory.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez warned that the devastation caused by flash flooding is “not finished” after at least 217 people were killed last week, mostly near Valencia.
Cities such as Valencia and Malaga were inundated last week after nearly a year’s worth of rain – close to half a metre – fell in just eight hours in some areas, leaving residents “trapped like rats” in homes and cars, as described by one desperate local mayor recalling the chaos.
Spain floods mapped: Where are weather alerts in force as death toll hits 217?
