On October 29th, a flash flood struck Spain. In minutes, a downpour began to overtake the vast monuments and sophisticated cities. This sudden flash flood trapped many in their homes, vehicles, buildings, and businesses. Spain was unprepared for a tragedy like this, and it has much to do to recover completely from it.
Within a couple of minutes, Spain was drowning in feet of water. According to an article by Aljazzera, “A year’s worth of rain fell within hours.” On the first day of flooding, a foot of rain had already dumped down onto the storied country. Due to the sudden washout, many were caught off guard and many lost livestock, homes, businesses, and even their lives. Among those, thousands of properties were damaged, which will be very costly. The devastating current death count is 222 people, with around 93 others still missing.
Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes with very little notice. While many had time to get to safety, others had no warning. The residents in Valencia sadly were among those who had no time to react and were caught in the flood. The water had already reached great depth when they got a message about the flood. The alert came an hour after the water started to downpour. According to CNN World, “This is the worst natural disaster Valencia has seen in decades. A year’s worth of rain dumped in less than 8 hours”.
Spain’s government has started the long recovery process; luckily, it isn’t alone in this. Many other countries are making donations and helping the thousands affected in any way they can. One foundation that has made a vast donation is the Amancio Ortega Foundation. Alliance Magazine states, “The Amancio Ortega Foundation, owned by fashion label Zara, donated 100 million euros, while foundations connected to Spain’s biggest football clubs raised money for flood victims.” To help those in Spain, you can choose a foundation you would prefer to donate to. Some recommended charities include the Global Giving Fund, Direct Relief, and The Intrepid Foundation.
