Spanish Baker in UK Expresses Flood Concerns for Home Near Valencia

A professional baker from Spain, currently in England for a cake exhibition, has voiced concerns that her residence may be destroyed when she returns to her home country. Catalina Anghel resides close to Valencia, an area where flash floods have demolished vehicles and accumulated significant debris in the roadways. Official sources indicate that a minimum of 158 individuals have perished nationwide, among them a British man. Ms Anghel stated, “It is very difficult. I have a lot of friends in the flooded areas.” She continued, “I have a friend, she lost everything. She was in the car when the flood arrived, she escaped by running, climbed on a tree, it’s difficult to talk about.” On Thursday, Ms Anghel departed Valencia on one of the final available trains before flying to Birmingham to attend Cake International at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC). Speaking to BBC Radio WM, she mentioned that her region was under a red alert and expressed concern about her ability to fly back home on Sunday. She also noted that her husband and son remained at their residence, and that all her acquaintances had been impacted. Nevertheless, Ms Anghel explained that she felt obligated to travel to the UK because the event is a significant fixture in the baking industry’s annual schedule, one she participates in annually. She stated, “They have no food, no water, no power and they can’t leave their home.” She continued, “They lost their car, their job, their everything. It’s terrible. I don’t know when this will fixed.” Cayetana Belda Marti, who resides in Coventry, attended university in Valencia, where her brother and sister continue to live. She remarked, “They are saying that now is devastated, everything and thanks God they are OK. It’s hard, because from here I cannot do anything.” Concerns exist that the number of fatalities may increase in the forthcoming days, given that numerous individuals are still unaccounted for throughout the impacted regions. On Tuesday, the area experienced rainfall equivalent to more than a year’s total, concentrated within an eight-hour period. Meteorologists attribute the extreme weather conditions, in part, to the Dana phenomenon—a meteorological event characterized by the interaction of a cold air mass with a low-pressure zone, resulting in a highly unstable atmospheric state. Although research indicates that Dana events manifest multiple times annually in the western Mediterranean, the severity of these rainfall occurrences seems to be escalating as a consequence of climate change.