Anger and frustration erupted in Spain on Sunday as King Felipe VI arrived in the town of Paiporta to survey the damage caused by historic flash floods that killed more than 200 people on Tuesday night.
At the chaotic scene, mud, objects and insults were hurled at the king as his aides tried to stop the crowd chanting “murder, murder!” and “Get out!”
In one heated exchange, a young man told King Felipe that “the rain was known, but no one did anything to avoid it,” and that the government had not adequately informed residents of the dangers posed by the rain. He mentioned the idea that there was no warning given.
A video posted by Spanish newspaper El Diario shows a distraught Queen Letizia of Spain, splashing mud as she confronts angry residents.
The floods, which dumped 20 months’ worth of rain on the city of Valencia and surrounding areas in just eight hours, were seen by many as a sudden and devastating event, made worse by a government response that was too slow to save lives. I felt it. Some residents said they had received alerts on their cellphones as water was already flooding into their homes and cars.
On Sunday, thousands of volunteers roamed Valencia and surrounding towns, venturing into places where some felt the government’s response was inadequate.
Luis Javier Gonzalez, 22, who has family in the area, was in Miami when the floods occurred. He told The Associated Press he flew in to help. “There are so many more people helping than the actual government, which is crazy. It’s so sad. It’s unreal.”
Despite frustration with the government, there was a community spirit on the ground. Thousands of volunteers gathered at the Valencia City of Arts and Sciences on Saturday to accept the task of cleaning up the entire city, with thousands more returning on Sunday.
“There were a lot more people than I expected,” Alejandro Vidal, a doctor who showed up at 7 a.m. to volunteer, told The Associated Press. There are queues everywhere to transport people to various affected areas. ”
Cristina Hernandez, a resident of Paiporta, a town hit hard by the floods, told NBC’s UK partner Sky News: “We feel abandoned by the government and we help each other, but at night… There are a lot of thieves,” he said. That’s why we’re scared too. ”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez acknowledged the frustration when addressing the nation on Saturday.
“I know that the response that is being given is not enough, I know that,” he said, enumerating the shortfalls and destruction of government, with shortages, services collapsing, towns covered in mud. Our homes have been destroyed, and people are still desperately searching for their families.
“I know I have to get better,” Sanchez said.
