Worst floods in Spain’s memory hit ‘like a tsunami’

October 31, 2024

In the town of Algemesi, they say the floods hit without warning.

Water barrels down the street, bringing with it thick, stinking mud that coats every surface in sight.

As we slosh through the slippery mud-slick, we meet Bernardo who is trying to sweep it out of his home.

However much he scrubs and cleans, the floors remain coated in grime.

“The disaster is enormous, I’ve never seen anything like it in my whole life,” he says.

He estimates some of the houses were filled with almost two metres of water.

Many are now without power after the flooding got into the electrics.

For much of the day, residents have been trying to repair the damage. But as we walk through the town, snapshots are still visible.

Two dining room chairs stand outside a house.

Their once smart velvet cushions now soggy and discoloured.

Further along, huge pumps spray water out from people’s cellars.

In another street, cars are gathered in a chaotic bunch – stranded where the water left them.

Bernardo shows us a video of the immediate aftermath.

Cars stand on their bonnets in the road as stunned locals take in the scene.

He estimates that around half the town’s vehicles have been damaged.

And the misery isn’t isolated to Algemesi – it’s a pain repeated in communities across southeast Spain.