Valencia

I’m sure all of you have read about and seen horrific pictures of the recent flooding in Valencia. The loss of life and the immense efforts necessary for the clean-up in the aftermath of the storm are heartbreaking and overwhelming. This type of climate event is called a “DANA” – a Spanish acronym for a high-altitude isolated depression episode (whatever that means!). The DANA which hit the area around Valencia was the deadliest in modern Spanish history and the most catastrophic flood-related event in Europe in decades.

But, the real story for the people of Valencia is the incredibly slow and inadequate response of their government. The public safety alarm which goes out to all residents via their mobile devices did not sound until 8:00 p.m., after the storm had already reached catastrophic proportions. And recently it was made public that the President of the State of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, on the afternoon the city was flooding was having a three-hour lunch with a female journalist (I don’t know if there is any importance to her gender, but just saying) supposedly to discuss the possibility of her taking over the State’s television channel. Mazón was two hours late for a meeting where the state of the emergency was being discussed, and so was late in approving the emergency notification.

It was also reported that Spain’s military emergency unit (UME), which can be deployed by the central government, was on standby the morning of the storm ready to assist in rescue efforts. Protocol, however, dictates that the regional government has to request any such support. That responsibility fell to Mazón, who at first declined the offers of assistance from the UME because he said the rains were ending. There are plenty of recriminations to go around regarding who is at fault. There have been protests and calls for Mazón to step down.

The people of Valencia are very angry. The King and Queen of Spain who arrived to offer the government’s support and convey condolences, were pelted with mud. Over 130,000 people protested in the city’s streets this past weekend. Over 200 people have died and there are still 80 people missing. Seven people died in an underground garage that was completely filled with water at a mall.

In the absence of a meaningful government response, farmers with tractors and workers with brooms took to the streets to search for victims and begin the massive clean-up. Volunteers have arrived from all over. I read that some French soldiers arrived in Valencia ahead of the Spanish soldiers. In at least one instance, a human chain of about fifty people carried water from a pool in the center of the town to the main street, where they dumped it to break up the mud. There were incredible acts of charity throughout the area.

The veterinary clinic here where I take my dogs was taking donations for pets. I took some dog and cat food on one of the first days. Later that week, there was quite a lot collected! It doesn’t look like that much, but small towns and groups of people and individuals all over Spain are contributing to the cause.

In other news, my car broke down on the freeway last week on my way to Girona train station to pick up a friend. All of the dashboard lights were flashing and the car declared in Spanish (its native language) that it was experiencing an epic fail and was going to shut itself off. Luckily, I was able to coast to the shoulder, and luckily I was near a friend’s house who came to assist and give moral support and ultimately drive me to Girona! It was scary! The car is still not fixed after a week…

I did a(nother) stupid thing. Since last summer, when renters were in my apartment, three of the six wine glasses went missing and I wanted to replace them. They looked like they came from Ikea, so I ordered three glasses. They came in a huge box with three BOXES of six wine glasses. I now have 21 wine glasses! I guess I need to have a party!

And I made a cake for the first time in years. I’m not a baker, but it came out pretty well! Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting… Cheers!