‘Terrified’ Spanish flood victim reveals massive damage: ‘It’s apocalyptic’
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A terrified Valencia flood victim has revealed the extent of the damage after floodwaters engulfed his home within minutes.
Alba Paredes Borja is from the Spanish town of Alfafar, one of the areas most affected by the storm, where local authorities are seeking urgent help to get food, water and medical supplies.
“I’m scared. Everything looks bad,” he said Independent. The floods – known as “cold drop” or DANA events – killed 158 people, including at least three people from the municipality, leaving the city in ruins and cut off from all communication.
As the torrential rains began on Tuesday night, the 20-year-old, who lives with her pet cat, recalls how she escaped a sinkhole when muddy water started entering her house, cause damage.
Now that Alba was staying with her friend, she explained how she was alone when the disaster struck. “I managed to escape with only a t-shirt, trousers and my cat. I left with no shoes on, nothing else,” he said.
In less than 10 minutes, his house was completely flooded, the water reached a height of two meters. “At the time when they issued a warning that houses were flooded, mine was already under water. Nothing is saved.
“The situation was difficult; I felt lost and scared to see my house flooded,” he added.
Her furniture was smashed, her electrical appliances were broken and the walls were wet. “There is nothing left – just mud,” Alba said.
Residents in his neighborhood woke up to see the horrible situation, when the cars were overturned making it difficult to walk.
“Food is in short supply as all the supermarkets have been looted. You cannot enter or exit the area because everything is blocked. Although communications were restored today, we were interrupted for three days.
“There are no saviors; it’s just us. We are a group of people trying to remove the mud from our homes, but there is not much help,” Alba explained.
“I am surprised. I lost my home and I have nothing left. Everyone around me has suffered the same pain.”
Those who managed to escape the floods sought refuge in the homes of their relatives and neighbors. But others are forced to sleep in doorways and abandoned buildings.
Alba said: “This situation is suffocating. People are fighting for food and just trying to survive. It’s scary and terrifying. Everything looks apocalyptic. Everything is ruined.
“Those who managed to save their cars before the floods hit were able to go to other places to buy food. But those who don’t have cars struggle to eat, they live on the little they could save.”
The official death toll from the floods in Spain has risen to 158, as emergency services continue intensive rescue efforts.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has urged residents to stay at home, warning that the damage is “not over yet” and declaring Valencia a “disaster zone” amid warnings of bad weather to come.
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