Why Do Spain's Streets Look Like An Apocalypse?

The recent floods in eastern Spain turned several streets into something resembling an apocalyptic film. This was in a context where there was clear loss of lives and damages sustained that went above and beyond the heavy rains and their effects on the infrastructure. On October 29, 2024, heavy flash flooding, which was attributed to rainstorms, ripped through the eastern parts of Spain mainly in the region of Valencia.

(Photo Credit:AP) Why Do Spain's Streets Look Like An Apocalypse?

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Mighty storms that raked on March and Turia river basins resulted in towering surges of water that spilled over the river basins, catching most of the people off guard on Tuesday night and Wednesday early morning. A cloud of mud and dirty water within no time filled up roads and railway lines, household and business establishments in the town southeast of Valencia.

Chiva and areas within were drenched with nearly 20 inches of rain which is the amount expected in a year. This weather phenomenon goes down as one of the most deadly events in that country’s contemporary history. While more than 200 people died, AP stated that 213 victims were from the Eastern region of Valencia. This disaster, is so vast as compared to those floods which have historically dished out such roughness to the people.

Following the disaster, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was quick to motivate recovery efforts by promising to send 10,000 soldiers and police officers to aid in the rescue operations. Nevertheless, a number of people were disappointed at the slow response from the concerned authorities. Storm alerts were sounded inordinately late for some who were safely housed or locked in their vehicles when the torrential downpour began. Local government officials have also been reproached for failing to notify the general population in a timely manner and without enough seriousness about the impending catastrophe.

As stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, extreme weather occurrences which lead to excessive floods and acute droughts have been on the increase and are becoming worse as a result of anthropogenic climatic changes. The data has been corroborated by incidents that have happened over and over again in different parts of the world.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stated "As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated. It has also become more erratic and unpredictable, and we are facing growing problems of either too much or too little water. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture which is conducive to heavy rainfall".

The existing sidewalks and crossings of Spain bear the strong vestiges of the wrath of nature and more importantly climate change as an underlying issue.