Victims of the floods caused by DANA in Valencia have criticized regional and central governments for not warning them in time to take shelter or prepare for the disaster. What has Spain failed with this phenomenon?
So far they have registered 217 people died due to the devastation caused by the DANA the meteorological phenomenon that hit Valencia, Spain the hardest.
The panorama is desolate: houses, buildings and commercial premises completely destroyed and flooded, mud and contaminated water everywhere. and hundreds of thousands of people helping victims with food and tools.
But there is also growing unrest among Valencians : many of them believe that the Spanish government has not given them the necessary help and They were not warned that this weather event would hit them so hard. so they could not prepare in time.
In the meantime, Rescuers continue search for missing as they access mud-blocked streets and all the objects that the water has carried away. According to the Spanish army, the number of deaths will increase every day.
“The humanitarian catastrophe will occur and it will probably be the most serious that Spain has experienced since 1962″, declared the head of Climatology of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) José Ángel Núñez, according to Be on chain .
How did Spain fail? let the consequences of DANA be so serious?
According to the analysis of BBC World, There is 4 causes that explain it.
1. Precipitation never before recorded
Historical records have been exceeded: the rains and storms recorded in Spain between the months of September and October broke records, while DANA dropped 500 liters of water per square meter in Valencia in just a few hours.
This That’s more than it rains all year.
Jose Maria Bodoque researcher specializing in flood risk assessment at the University of Castile-La Mancha, wrote in an article published in The conversation that The precipitation “rapidly saturated the soil”.
The water would have generated “flash floods in torrents, canals and boulevards which occurred within a few hours, which limited the intervention time.”
That is, according to the expert, the rain brought by DANA was so fast that it was difficult to act in time.
2. Lack of foresight on the part of the Spanish authorities
On the morning of Tuesday, October 29, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) launched an alert at the highest level by DANA: they assured that the level of risk for the population was “very high”.
Despite this, according to the BBC, “The authorities have not adopted exceptional measures.”
In fact, the president of the regional government of the Valencian Community, Carlos Mazón, assured the same day at 1 p.m. local time that the storm was moving and that “Its intensity is expected to decrease around 6 p.m..”
But this did not happen.
Instead, within hours, rain began to destroy much of Valencia.
The confusing instructions caused many people to continue their normal lives. Jorge Olcina, climatologist at the University of Alicante he said BBC World that “Too much of the population was exposed. »
“People who move in the streets and highways, or in low houses, while certain areas should have been protected or even evacuated.
When Civil Protection decided to send an alert message to cell phones in the area, the water had already gotten out of control: People clung to trees or sought shelter on roofs.
Others had gone to parking lots to prevent water from damaging their cars or to try to escape on board, but they got stuck and drowned.
NOW, The population’s uneasiness is directed towards the central and regional government, because they were not warned in time of what could happen.
Olcina assured that this disaster showed that “The autonomous state model adopted in Spain does not have well-oiled mechanisms to deal with an emergency of this magnitude. »
“In a situation like this, there is no room for political conflicts or distinctions between local and national, a timely initiative is necessary. »
3. Poor organization of the city
Valencia is one of the most densely populated regions of Spain. and, at the same time, it is one of the most touristy in the country.
With this in mind, DANA has once again brought to the forefront an issue that has been debated for decades, namely Work continues in areas declared “flood-prone”.
As explained BBC World, at present there are neighborhoods inhabited by thousands of people that are built on seasonal waterways which are generally dry, but remain most exposed to occasional flooding.
“In relation to these events, the main amplifying factor of loss of life, victims and economic damage is the urbanization of river spaces of canals and boulevards, a circumstance that has also occurred in most urban centers affected by DANA,” Bodocque said.
And that’s it The devastating consequences didn’t just happen with DANA : In 1957 and 1982, there were overflows and floods which also caused many deaths.
These events had already shown the risks associated with construction in these areas, but nothing was done to remedy them.
4. The risk of climate change
Isolated depression at high levels (DANA), the phenomenon which has wreaked havoc in Spain, This is not strange in the region: in fact, it always happens at the end of summer.
But What has changed are the conditions under which this weather event is generated.
Climate change and global warming influence DANA and other phenomena They are much more destructive, as they increase in frequency and intensity.
“With the waters of the Mediterranean getting warmer and warmer, more and more powerful clouds form and produce more precipitation,” Olcina explained.
And DANA in particular is a phenomenon that This worsens with hot, humid environmental conditions and sea temperatures.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
