When Valencia was flooded overnight, an entire city came out the following morning to help those affected

The Valencia region in Spain faced its worst natural disaster in decades when relentless rain poured down for nine straight hours on October 29, 2024, causing widespread destruction and leaving residents struggling in its wake. Yet, amid the devastation, over 15,000 civilians stepped up to aid their community, a powerful reminder of humanity’s resilience and kindness. Volunteers worked together to clear the debris blocking streets and residential areas, as reported by the BBC.

Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, confirmed that 211 people have lost their lives so far, with the death toll expected to rise. Despite the deployment of 5,000 military troops and another 5,000 police officers and civil guards, some residents in Valencia are questioning the speed of the local response. A video posted on Reddit by u/Guonsian captured countless people marching across a bridge carrying buckets, shovels, mops, brooms, water and food from Valencia to help village areas affected by the floods.

The authorities did not release any prior warnings or alerts to the civilians before the flood swept in, according to CNN. An alarm went off later that signaled the residents of Valencia to stay indoors and out of the heavy rain. However, many people were stuck in the rising floodwater at that point. The constant rain caused the water from rivers and tributaries of the Mediterranean Sea to wipe away cars and destroy bridges along the way and causing heavy casualties. The last time Valencia suffered from a flood this severe was back in October 1957.

Valentin Manzaneque Fernandez, a 70-year-old resident of Valencia, shared his frustrations with a news outlet. "The politicians are all scoundrels. Are they out here there removing mud? They fill their pockets to give us this? The storm hit in the morning. But the water didn't get to us until 8 in the evening. Yet, nobody warned us, nothing. Nobody cared," he mentioned. As of now, the water levels have receded, but the destruction left in the wake of the flood would take months to clean up. The Valencia highways are still blocked and only a part of it has been cleaned to make transportation a bit easier. The Reddit community also showed their concern for the flood-affected people of Valencia in the comment section. 

u/Loki9101 wrote, "Humans are capable of both the most horrendous acts of violence, but they can also be kind, altruistic and noble. We should never forget that while man is a wolf to man, we can also be kind and loving to one another." u/Independent-Slide-79 commended, "I think it's really great to see that the whole society stands together in a moment like this. Let's hope this will keep activism around those hazards going." u/its_vanilla143 shared, "This is the kind of news to spread to mainstream media across the globe. Not only the war or killings. Kindness is contagious!" u/RedRocketXS added, "You'd expect the Spanish government to handle this a bit more seriously. Yeah, they sent 2000 soldiers, but a disaster this big (the biggest in Europe in 50 years) deserves way more than what they're getting from the national government."

Disclaimer: "This is a developing story, and we'll update you as we gain more information about the flash flood in Valencia, Spain, as it is swiftly changing. Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency of developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication."