Latest floods in Spain: army called to Valencia; before and after images show devastation

TO Siobhan Robbinscorrespondent in Europe

In the Spanish city of Algemesi, people are outraged.

The Raval suburb was one of the worst hit by the floods, but residents feel abandoned.

“When the alarm came, the water was already two meters high,” Caroline shouts from her balcony.

“There were no police, no firefighters, no mayor. Nobody came to save us.”

The disaster spreads from street to street.

Carmen puts her head in her hands and cries.

“They’ve lost everything and they’ve lost everything,” she says, pointing to her neighbors’ houses.

All the houses are in ruins, and their owners are heartbroken.

Dolores shows us her house.

She said the flood had reached the ceiling, but when no help came, they had to knock holes in the walls to clear the water.

“I feel terrible. I’m terrified and very afraid. My husband is sick, we need more help,” she says.

The level of destruction is enormous.

On the street we meet Noel with his children.

Barefoot, the younger one hobbles through the mud. Yesterday he and his wife had nothing to eat. He feels helpless.

“Now there are people who are trapped. The mud is up to their waists, so they cannot open the doors. “I live on the top floor, so I haven’t had any problems with flooding in my house, but I don’t have water, electricity or food,” he says.

There is a growing sense of desperation in this suburb.

At one point, someone shouts “food” and people rush to grab whatever they can from the nearest store.

It is unclear whether the owner let them in or whether they are being robbed.

The disruption is so great that at a time when people need it most, they feel frustrated and alone.

At a nearby shelter we meet people from Algemesi who were left homeless due to the flood.

Carol says she has never felt so hopeless.

“A tree trunk crashed in front of my house. There are no walls or ceiling. I have nothing. There’s nothing left,” she explains, starting to cry.

For many, the initial trauma of the disaster was subsequently compounded by feelings of loss and loneliness.