Valencia’s leader acknowledges errors in flood response, rejects resignation demands

Valencia’s embattled leader, Carlos Mazón, has admitted that mistakes occurred on the day his region was inundated by floods, but he attributed the insufficient public warning to two government agencies. More than 220 individuals lost their lives when floods impacted areas of Spain on 29 October, with the majority of these fatalities concentrated in Mazón’s eastern coastal region. The conservative leader of Valencia disregarded demands for his resignation during his initial appearance before the regional parliament since the floods. He has faced widespread criticism for reportedly spending a significant portion of the afternoon having lunch with a journalist rather than focusing on Valencia’s management of the rapidly escalating crisis. No alert was dispatched to residents in the region until 20:11 on Tuesday, by which time the floodwaters had already reached the congested V31 highway, known as the Pista de Silla, in the Valencia suburbs. Mazón spoke extensively in the regional parliament, Les Corts, on Friday, defending his handling of the disaster and explaining that the text alert system had never been utilized previously. A police helicopter was visible overhead as dozens of protesters, kept at a distance from the building where Mazón was speaking, chanted angry calls for him to resign or face arrest. They shouted, “El President a Picassent,” implying that the regional leader belonged in a local prison. Some of the demonstrators held placards that read: “Our hands are stained with mud. Theirs are stained with blood.” He assigned blame to Spain’s Aemet weather agency as well as the independent Júcar authority, which oversees the river basin and water resources. Aemet had issued a red alert early on 29 October, extending it to the entire Valencia area, with the warning of “extreme” danger. By mid-afternoon, it was forecasting 150-180 mm of rainfall over a 12-24 hour period. “I’m not going to deny mistakes,” he stated, pledging not to shirk his responsibilities, while clarifying that inadequate details had been provided. “We did the best we could in the situation we were in, with the information available and with the resources we had, which was clearly not enough.” He insisted that Spain had not experienced such a devastating natural disaster in recent history, describing it as “as terrifying as it was unprecedented.” This, he explained, accounted for the widespread sentiment that assistance was either absent or insufficient, adding: “I want to apologise to those who felt that way.” “The mismanagement was abhorrent,” a young man told the BBC, further suggesting that lives could have been saved if the disaster had been handled more competently: “He has declared he’s not willing to step down so we need to keep up the volume against him.” In Paiporta, a town on the outskirts of Valencia that was most severely affected by the flood, a thick layer of mud is ubiquitous, blocking drains and preventing many residents from using their toilets, while the air carries the smell of sewage. Weary residents trudge through the streets as bulldozers attempt to clear the viscous debris. The army continues to tow away wrecked cars that were tossed around in the floodwaters. On Florida Street, people are diligently working to repair damaged doors and remove mud. “It’ll be months before it’s back to normal,” commented José Sánchez Maigallon, a father of two whose 43-year-old neighbour was swept away by the torrent. “Everyone has messed up, from the local mayor to the regional president to the government in Madrid.” Carlos Mazón eventually sought to explain why he had not gone to the Operational Coordination Centre until 19:00 on the evening of the flood, stating that regional interior minister Salomé Pradas was already present. Pradas herself has since acknowledged that she was unaware of the ES-Alert text message system, which was available to warn the local population of flood risks. Shortly after 20:00 on 29 October, a first message was dispatched, warning of the imminent risk of a dam being breached. Many residents in Paiporta complain about the slow response of authorities in assisting survivors. “If it weren’t for the volunteers, we would have died of hunger,” said José Sánchez Maigallon. “They’re the ones bringing us food. And hope.” Across the road, his 62-year-old neighbour Antonio shook his head at the daunting task ahead, recalling “a scene from a horror movie.” His mother, Josefa, aged 92, observed from her balcony an extensive group of people at work, some wearing masks and protective clothing. “One day it will be beautiful here again,” she remarked with a smile. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.