{"id":120798,"date":"2024-11-01T10:33:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T03:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=120798"},"modified":"2024-11-01T10:33:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T03:33:12","slug":"it-was-a-trap-flood-alert-came-too-late-for-residents-of-paiporta-spain-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=120798","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It was a trap\u2019: flood alert came too late for residents of Paiporta, Spain | Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500;\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">A<\/span>s public buildings across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/spain\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Spain<\/a> lowered flags to half-mast to mark the first of three days of national mourning, Let\u00edcia Cardona Teruel set off with her husband and eight-year-old daughter \u2013 their rucksacks packed to the brim \u2013 to walk the seven kilometres to Valencia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">About 36 hours earlier on Tuesday, they had watched as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/oct\/30\/spain-floods-torrential-rain-deaths\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">rivers of mud-coloured<\/a> water coursed through their small town of Paiporta, swamping the ground floor of buildings, sweeping away cars and submerging local plazas. On Thursday, as access roads remained mostly cut off, they were among a dozen or so residents who were walking to the regional capital in hopes of staying safe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The journey gave them a first-hand look at the devastation wreaked by the storm: streets littered with piles of cars and street lights that lay scattered on the ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cEverything is destroyed,\u201d said Cardona Teruel, speaking to the Guardian by phone. \u201cIt\u2019s like a zombie apocalypse that you see in the movies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><gu-island name=\"InteractiveBlockComponent\" priority=\"critical\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/uploader\/embed\/2024\/10\/spanish-rainmap\/giv-4559m3S9h7SpGv20\/&quot;,&quot;scriptUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/embed\/iframe-wrapper\/0.1\/boot.js&quot;,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;chart of rain in Spain&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:10,&quot;display&quot;:2,&quot;theme&quot;:0},&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;80728b5a-14c0-45c7-9ce6-abb1d30e0a82&quot;,&quot;isMainMedia&quot;:false}\"><\/p>\n<figure id=\"80728b5a-14c0-45c7-9ce6-abb1d30e0a82\" data-alt=\"chart of rain in Spain\" data-testid=\"interactive-element-chart%20of%20rain%20in%20Spain\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"element element-interactive element--inline element-inline dcr-w422y2\"><a data-name=\"placeholder\" href=\"https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/uploader\/embed\/2024\/10\/spanish-rainmap\/giv-4559m3S9h7SpGv20\/\" class=\"dcr-1eupayo\">chart of rain in Spain<\/a><\/figure>\n<p><\/gu-island><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">This week the quiet commuter town of Paiporta became known across Spain as one of the places to have been worst affected by the country\u2019s deadliest flood in modern history. Of the reported 155 deaths in the region of Valencia, at least 62 \u2013 nearly half \u2013 occurred in the town, leaving many reeling with grief amid anger that there had been no official alert before water began surging through their town.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cThere was no warning,\u201d said the town\u2019s mayor, Maribel Albalat. In the absence of any sign that this storm would be different from any other, many residents had gone down to garages beneath their apartments to move their cars to higher ground.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cWe\u2019re told that that\u2019s where a lot of people were caught,\u201d said Albalat<strong>.<\/strong> Later, explaining that the floodwaters had surged just as many residents were at ground level or underground, she was more blunt. \u201cIt was a trap,\u201d she told the broadcaster TVE.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"093f65d1-c928-43a6-99e8-a488afc65763\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:8,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Spain floods death toll passes 150 as country begins three days of mourning&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;093f65d1-c928-43a6-99e8-a488afc65763&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/oct\/31\/spain-floods-valencia-death-toll-three-days-mourning&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:10,&quot;display&quot;:2,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Among the residents who lost their lives were Lourdes Mar\u00eda Garc\u00eda and her three-month-old baby. She had been in a car with her partner, Antonio Tarazona, when the waters started to rise around them.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"6cba762f-659c-4602-8ce3-505847178275\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1fujct4\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">People receiving assistance in Paiporta, Valencia province on 31 October.<\/span> Photograph: Miguel Angel Polo\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">As the car began to float, Tarazona got out in an attempt to pull the family to safety. Instead he found himself swept away by the currents. \u201cThe currents began to drag the car down,\u201d he told El Pa\u00eds. \u201cThe last thing I saw was them calling for help from the roof of the car.\u201d Police later confirmed that the bodies of Garc\u00eda and the baby had been found.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">At the local care home, the floods struck just as residents were having dinner. Videos posted online showed them screaming as water came rushing in, leaving staff wading frantically through knee-deep waters to carry residents to higher floors. While they managed to save the majority, six people died.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Several inhabitants of Paiporta spoke of being caught off guard by the floods, given that it hadn\u2019t been raining in the area at the time. For Andries Klarenburg, an English teacher from Manchester living in Paiporta, the first inkling that something was wrong came when the electricity shut off.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"fe1e10a6-68dd-469d-a633-a81e8b5a4481\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1fujct4\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Cars piled up after being swept away by floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain on Wednesday 30 October.<\/span> Photograph: Alberto Saiz\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cI look out the window and the first thing I see is, literally, cars floating down the street of where I live,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was really surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">His thoughts immediately turned to his wife and their one-month-old daughter, who were driving back to their flat with his mother-in-law. He tried to call but his phone battery was dead. \u201cI had no idea if they were alive or dead until I could charge my phone via an old laptop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">About three kilometres away, his wife, Florencia Rey, was frantically debating what to do. They had turned on to one street after spotting flooding on another, only to find themselves surrounded by rising waters. Water had started entering the car, filling it rapidly. \u201cThe car started to move, even with the brakes on,\u201d said Rey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">She wrenched open the door, going through the boot of the car to pull her baby out of the car seat. The three of them waded through three feet of water, eventually making their way to the second floor of a warehouse. During brief bursts of phone coverage they managed to connect with Klarenburg and keep in touch during the eight hours it took before they were rescued by police.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"a6b4cfab-86bd-4e44-9217-63700bbae9e7\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:19,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Why were the floods in Spain so bad? A visual guide&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;a6b4cfab-86bd-4e44-9217-63700bbae9e7&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/oct\/31\/why-were-the-floods-in-spain-so-bad-a-visual-guide&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:10,&quot;display&quot;:2,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">After being reunited on Wednesday morning, the family was on Thursday safe in their third-floor apartment but without water or reliable access to food. \u201cWe\u2019ve felt very isolated because there\u2019s no government presence or anything like that,\u201d said Klarenburg. \u201cThere are helicopters overhead, sirens but everything that is being done is being done by the community, like clearing the road or moving cars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Albalat said the community was in shock. \u201cThe situation is catastrophic \u2026 We don\u2019t have electricity in some areas; we\u2019re without water and communication is difficult,\u201d she told broadcaster Onda Cero.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"3859d938-bade-4846-b3ce-bef176f9af10\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1fujct4\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Flooding on 30 October after a river burst its banks in the municipality of Paiporta, in the province of Valencia, Spain.<\/span> Photograph: Manuel Bruque\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">Scientists say the human-driven climate crisis is increasing the length, frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, is also thought to play a key role in making torrential rains more severe.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"edee553d-86a4-4959-b93c-d95a24acc78a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\" dcr-1your1i\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:24,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Why were the floods in Spain so bad? A visual guide&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;edee553d-86a4-4959-b93c-d95a24acc78a&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/oct\/31\/why-were-the-floods-in-spain-so-bad-a-visual-guide&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:10,&quot;display&quot;:2,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">The gravity of the floods took most in Paiporta by surprise. The state weather agency, AEMET, had launched a red alert for the region on Tuesday morning. But it took until just after 8pm for the civil protection service to send an alert urging residents not to leave their homes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">For Cardona Teruel, the official alert came after she had moved her car and waded through knee-deep waters to make it back to her house.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1eu361v\">\u201cWe\u2019re very upset,\u201d she said. \u201cPrevention is about getting ahead of what might happen \u2026 at no time was there talk of evacuating homes or people not taking their cars. There was none of that. You can\u2019t send alerts when the worst has already happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/oct\/31\/it-was-a-trap-flood-alert-came-too-late-for-residents-of-paiporta-spain\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As public buildings across Spain lowered flags to half-mast to mark the first of three days of national mourning, Let\u00edcia Cardona Teruel set off with her husband and eight-year-old daughter &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=120798\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120798\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}