Behind the huge loss of life in Valencia

The death toll from floods in Spain has now risen to over 150 people. Scientists observe that the climate crisis is making rainstorms of this kind more extreme and more frequent, and Greenpeace Spain are demanding that fossil fuel companies should pay for the damage wrought. However, the loss of life suffered in the eastern region of Valencia may also be the product of short-term posturing by right wing politicians. Sue Lukes reports.

All eyes are on Valencia, the Spanish region where over 150 people have died in the flash flooding on 29th October 2024. Were they killed by the floods? Or by corrupt governments, climate denial and the far right? 

Valencia has been plagued by corruption for decades. For over 20 years, the Partido Popular was in power, and Valencia was the focus of many corruption investigations and trials: the Gurtel plot, the Brigal, Terra Mitica, Valmor, Imelsa cases among others.

Almost all the region’s PP presidents were named or charged in them. Some 130 PP officials faced court proceedings.  In 2018 the electorate had enough and a new regional government formed by PSOE, the Spanish Socialist Party, and Compromis, took office, facing debts of €5,400m caused by waste on megaprojects, some associated with the corruption. 

But in May 2023, the PP got back into power in Valencia, this time in alliance with VOX, the far right party, known for its policies and statements demonising migrants, feminists, LGBT people, and its hostility to government expenditure on welfare and infrastructure and those in favour of devolution or autonomy within the Spanish state. It dismisses action on climate change as “the green religion” and voted against the Spanish law on it in 2021.

Four months after taking power, the new Valencia regional PP/Vox government passed an emergency decree closing down the Valencia Emergencies Unit that had been created by the PSOE government before it to ensure a rapid regional response to emergencies. On November 29th 2023, the Valencian PP tweeted proudly that it was the “first organisation created by Ximo Puig (former PSOE president) closed down by Carlos Mazon (current PP president).” 

The PP and Vox had demanded the Unit be shut down before it was even set up, calling it a “chiringuito” (a beach bar, so a vanity project) of the Socialist government. Once they got into government, Vox was given the post of Minister of Justice, and so the fate of the Unit, which was within that ministry, was sealed. 

The Spanish weather service issued a red alert at 7:04 on October 29th, saying the danger from floods was such that people should only travel if strictly necessary. But with no coordinated regional response to the emergency, the Valencian government activated its flood emergency plan only at 19:30, after the River Magro had already burst its banks and several towns were already flooded and people trapped.

Local employers also ignored the weather report and insisted that people stay in their workplace, which ensured that many were travelling home as the worst floods hit.  The Valencia government sent out a general alert via mobile phones to the whole population only at 20:12, by which time many were already trapped, and, as we now know, scores of people died in the floods. 

Sue Lukes was an Islington Labour Councillor from 2018 to 2022 and is a writer and consultant on migration issues.

Image: Cars lay scattered and piled on top of each other after a mudslide in Valencia today. (APpic)     

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