2024 Spanish floods

On 29 October 2024,torrential raincaused by anisolated low-pressure area at high levelsbrought over a year's worth ofprecipitationto several areas in easternSpain, including theValencian Community,Castilla–La Mancha, andAndalusia. The resultingfloodwaterscaused the deaths of about 232 people, with three more missingand substantial property damage.It is one of the deadliest natural disasters in Spanish history.
Though similar torrential rain events had happened in the past in the region, the flooding was more intense, likely due to theeffects of climate change. The poor preparation anddisaster responseof theregionaland national governments also likely aggravated the human cost of the event, notably inValencia. After the flooding, thousands of volunteers from all around Spain and numerous nonprofit organizations mobilized to help with the cleanup and recovery.
Disastrous floods have been reported throughout thehistory of Valencia, from the 14th century up to the contemporary period.The1957 Valencia floodwas caused by a three-daycold drop(Spanish:gota fría) (which usually leads to heavy autumn rains in Spain and France); it overflowed the banks of theTúria riverand devastated the city ofValencia.
The 1957 flood resulted in at least 81 fatalities.In response, thegovernmentofFrancisco Francoinitiated work on a "Southern Solution" (Spanish:Solución Sur), a giant canal to reroute the Túria River around the south of the city centre, three kilometres from its original course.From 1964 to 1973, the Franco government built the new 12 kilometre long, 175 metre wide channel, capable of draining 5,000 cubic metres of water per second.The Southern Solution was later revised from a hydraulic engineering project into a comprehensive Southern Plan (Spanish:Plan Sur) which also included roads, railways, and other urban development projects.Since then, the Southern Plan has shielded the city centre, but did nothing to protect the rapidly growing towns to the south.In 2008, a hydraulic infrastructure program was proposed to protect the southern towns, at a cost of about €200 million.Very little of that program was ever implemented, leaving those towns vulnerable to severe flooding.
In September 2019, floods killed six people inVega Baja del Segura. To respond to future floods, theValencian governmentofXimo Puigestablished the Valencian Emergencies Unit (Valencian:Unitat Valenciana d'Emergències;Spanish:Unidad Valenciana de Emergencias). After the2023 Valencian regional election. The newValencian governmentofCarlos Mazónshut down the unit, which it considered a "superfluous expense".
On 25 October 2024, Spanish national agencyAEMETmeteorologist Juan Jesús González Alemán warned that the upcoming cold drop or DANA could become a high impact storm. This was initially ridiculed and described as "alarmism" onTwitterbyclimate change denialists.
Four environmental factors combined to produce the devastation of the 2024 Spanish floods:
The first factor is that theurban areaof the City of Valencia lies flat around a riverbed on analluvial plain, which places it at high risk of flooding. When heavy rains coincide with aconvective stormduring which the sea level tends to rise, the drainage of water is hindered and flood risk is doubled. The areas where it rained the most have not been flooded, but those whose geography is more predisposed to accumulate water, like the peripheral municipalities, but not the well protected city centre, were quickly flooded.
The second factor is theurbanisationof the coastal area.Impervious surfaces, such as roads and buildings,impede water from penetrating the ground.Water pools on level land,and is further retained by the metre-highbeach ridge.When runoff is prevented and water gathers,flash floodingresults.Rising sea levels will further slow drainage time to days or even weeks.From 1997–2007 there was intense urbanisation of the area around the City of Valencia and coastal areas generally, with little regard for the growing danger of severe flooding due to climate change.
The third factor are the mountains of Valencia's interior.Blocked from entering the interior of Spain by the mountains, humid air from over the sea is forced up by the wind, where it cools, condensing its water vapour, which rapidly precipitates as rain, producing torrents that can quickly flood low lying areas.For example, the town ofOlivasouth of the City of Valencia has experienced 20 intense floods since 1972.
The fourth factor is thatclimate changehad increased the destructive power of the stormin several ways. After the 2024 summer, the record high temperatures of theMediterranean SeaandAtlantic Oceancaused unusually high levels of water evaporation, that precipitated with record intensitywhen it came into contact with high altitude cold airarriving from the north. It made the storm 2 times more likely and the rainfall 12% heavier.Increasing the flood risk, the hotter recent summers made the soil drier,  reducing the ground's ability to soak up water, which facilitates flash flooding. Scientists suggest that climate change may also have caused the storm to move more slowly, creating more rainfall in the same place; the same is said about the central Europeanstorm "Boris".The warmer sea waters also increase wind speed during such storms.Thewarming of the Arcticmakes thejet streamweaker, which facilitated the movement of cold arctic air further south, as occurred in this instance, when a pocket of cold air from over Greenland penetrated the warm air mass over Spain. When the cold air from the north meets the warm humid air from over the sea, it creates intense rainfall and strong winds. Climate change warming has also extended the season in which thisDANA phenomenacan occur: from only November, to anytime in the year.
Climate Centralextreme event attribution analysisindicates that the unprecedented intensity of the rainfalls were largely due to therising temperatureof theAtlantic Ocean.
Starting on 29 October 2024, acold dropbrought drastic flash flooding to southern and south-eastern Spain, primarily in the Valencia region.At 06:42, theState Meteorological Agency(AEMET) issued an orange weather warning for the south of Valencia. Less than 20 minutes later, the port of Valencia announced it would be shutting down.At 07:36, the AEMET issued a red weather warning for the Valencian interior and upgraded its previous warning to the highest level. By this time, thePlana d'Utielwas already receiving heavy rain.By 10:30, emergency services were rescuing people from their vehicles inRibera.
At 11:30, the ravine inChivaoverflowed and flooded the municipality;Chiva saw nearly 500 millimetres (20 in) of rainfall during the day.At 11:45, emergency services alerted municipalities along theMagro River. At 12:00, the Magro burst its banks inUtiel,which recorded 200 mm (7.9 in) of rainfall.Utiel mayor Ricardo Gabaldón reported water levels three meters high, leaving several trapped and others missing.TheUniversity of Valencia, who had suspended classes the day before due to forecast of heavy rainfall and had set up an emergency committee years ago, decided to suspend at noon all teaching, administrative, research and cultural activities at all campuses and university facilities.At 12:20, emergency services alerted municipalities along thePoyo ravine. By the following hour, affected municipalities lost electricity and telephone services.At noon, theProvincial Deputation of Valencia[es;ca]sent all of its workers home, citing the "very high risk to the population" of the cold drop. By 14:00, all of its offices were closed.The Poyo ravine registered peaks of discharge of about2300 m/sin Paiporta.
At 13:00, Valencian PresidentCarlos Mazónheld a press conference to claim the storm would dissipate by 18:00. But by 17:35, emergency services were already issuing alerts regarding the overflow of the Magro andJúcarrivers.At 18:00, the town ofTurísrecorded 42 mm of precipitation in 10 minutes, and set the new Spanish record with 184.6 mm (7.27 in) in one hour.At 18:30, the Poyo burst its banks inTorrentand flooded downstream through several towns inHorta Sud. Many people died, while others sought refuge on theAutovía V-30[es;ca]or in shopping centres.
At 19:25, surging waters destroyed a bridge inPicanya.It was not until 20:11 that theGeneralitat Valencianaissued anES-alert cell phone warning, advising Valencian citizens to remain indoors. At 20:36, the Spanish government'sMilitary Emergencies Unit(UME) was requested in the Valencian Community.At 21:00, Mazón reappeared to declare the floods an "unprecedented situation".Around midnight on 30 October, Mazón's social media team deleted a tweet claiming the storm would dissipate.
TheSouth Plan[es;ca]is a new riverbed for theTuriabuilt after thecatastrophic 1957 flood, but it only protected the city proper ofValenciafrom major damage.In theground zerotown ofPaiportaalone, 62 people died.The floods eventually affected all population centers inHorta Sudand most inCamp de TúriaandRequena-Utiel.
In Andalusia, the storm caused landslidesand damage to buildings, roads, bridges and agricultural land.Several people had to be rescued by theCivil Guard.Meteorologists predicted further storms would hit the regions on 31 October 2024.On 11 November 2024 it caused floods inBalanegra,Vícar,Roquetas de Mar,El Ejido,Aguadulceand El Parador, in theprovince of Almería,where three people were rescued.On 13 November 2024 theprovince of Málagawas in red alert.
TheRegion of Murciawas also flooded, although to a lesser degree than other regions.Flooding also reached theAragonprovinces ofTeruelandZaragoza, especially in the villages ofMontalbánandLa Hoz de la Vieja.
Several videos taken of flash flooding showed people holding on to trees to resist the flood's rapid flow, with 30 people inLetur, Castilla–La Mancha trapped by floodwaters.Two dead women and five missing people were reported in the municipality.On 5 November, the death toll reached five.
On the night of 3 November 2024 streets inMartorell,CastelldefelsandGavàinBarcelonawere flooded by rain.SitgesandTarragonawere also affected,and Tarragona again on 13 November.On the evening of 8 November, torrential rain caused flooding inCadaquésandGirona.
The floodwaters killed at least 232 people,including 224 in theprovince of Valencia,seven more inCastile–La Manchaand one inAndalusia.According toAEMETchief climatologist José Ángel Núñez, most deaths occurred in localities with no rain.A total of 78 municipalities registered at least one fatality. A total of 36,605 people were rescued nationwide.
Seventeen foreign nationals were among those killed.Half of the fatalities wereagedover 60, while nine were children.65% of the fatalities were men.Football playerJosé Castillejo[ca]and business executives Vicente Tarancón (Luanvi), Miguel Burdeos, José Luis Marín and Antonio Noblejas (Deloitte) were confirmed among the fatalities.
Initially, around 2,000 people were declared missing in Valencia as of 3 November,generally based on calls to an emergency number regarding missing family members.By 5 November, that number had decreased to 89on 6 November then it increased to 93,and on 11 November it decreased to 23.Five more were missing in Castilla–La Mancha,and five deaths.Among the missing were 16 members ofSpain's Romanian community.Many victims were trapped in their cars in underground garages due to the rapid rise in water levels.
The flooding significantly damaged buildings and infrastructure, derailing ahigh-speed trainnear Málaga but not injuring any of its nearly 300 passengers.The high-speed railway line linking Valencia to Madrid was cut, while  232 kilometers of rail and road links required repair.Over 100,000 cars were damaged. About 40,000 vehicles may betotalledsince the damage and their age would not justify a repair.Across Valencia, 1,800 businesses were destroyed and 4,500 others were damaged.TheInsurance Compensation Consortiumrecorded at least 116,000 insurance claims for flood damage with a total value of at least 3.5 billion euros ($3.8 billion), with 60% of the claims for cars and 31% for homes.Munich Re estimates the total damage to have been 10.7 billion euros ($11 billion) of which 4.1 billion euros ($4.2 billion) were insured.
Spanish rail operatorAdministrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviariasis suspending all Valencia rail services until the situation normalizes.This included suspensions forhigh-speed rail services from Valencia to Madrid, and allcommuter train services in Valencia. Moreover, floods and subsequent crashes blocked parts of major highwaysAutovía A-3/E-901,Autovía A-7/E-15,and other roads.Metrovalenciasuspended services, with the lines south of the city particularly badly affected. It was expected that it would take months to restore normal service.
Twelve flights were diverted fromValencia Airportdue to heavy rainfall and winds, while 10 more arrivals and departures there were cancelled.AtMálaga Airport, numerous flights were cancelled or rerouted on 29 October,until normal services resumed on 30 October.
With theemergency numbersaturated by reported incidents, many people asked social media for help for themselves or family members.TheCircuit Ricardo Tormorace trackinCheste,Valencian Communitywas used as a relief centre, but with access roads damaged.TheValencia MotoGPscheduled on 17 November was cancelled, with organisers planning to hold the event at theCircuit de Barcelona-CatalunyainMontmeló,Barcelona.TheFIA Formula EOfficial Test and Women's Test, due on 4–7 November at the circuit, were postponed to 5–8 November atCircuito del JaramainSan Sebastián de los Reyes,Community of Madrid.
The Valencia municipal government suspended all sports and classes for 30 October.Football games in theCopa del Reyinvolving teams from the Valencia region on 30 October were postponed a week.The Seville book fair was suspended on 29 and 30 October.Five games in Valencia due on 2 and 3 November were postponed, includingValenciaagainstReal Madrid.OsasunaplayerAnte BudimirandGironaplayerMiguel Gutiérrezwore shirts carrying the caption "Be strong Valencia" during their respectiveLa Ligamatches on 2 November. The Osasuna squad, which won 1–0 againstReal Valladolid, said it dedicated their victory to the flood victims and coachVicente Moreno, who is from the affected town ofMassanassa.Starting the week of 5 November, a moment of silence was observed at allUEFAclub matches for the victims of the floods.
Theelectric gridsuffered serious damage, andnatural gasdistribution services were precautionarily suspended.The economic loss is expected to break the record of the1983 Spanish floods.
Over 100 people were arrested for theft and looting in the aftermath of the floods.
TheBank of Spainestimated that the floods could result in a 0.2% reduction in Spain's economic growth rate for the last quarter of 2024.
The Mazón administration was criticised for itsdisaster response.CompromísspokespersonÀgueda Micó[es;ca]held Mazón personally responsible for the deaths and "shirking his responsibilities".Mazón'sPeople's Party's leaderAlberto Núñez Feijóodefended him, instead blaming AEMET for failing to alert promptly.However, AEMET's timeline of events contradicted Feijóo: it first issued a weather red alert at 07:31 for northern inland Valencia and extended the warning to southern Valencia at 07:36; however, at 13:00, Mazón spoke to the press where he downplayed the storm and claimed it would dissipate by 18:00.Several meteorologists said that Feijóo's blame of AEMET could engender distrust of the meteorological agency and further endanger people by delegitimising weather warnings.Twenty Valencian civic organisations and trade unions also demanded Mazón's resignation.The civil organisation "Justice for Valencia" opened alawsuitagainst Mazón, as well asEmilio ArgüesoandSalomé Pradas[es], under the charges ofreckless homicide.TheGeneral Confederation of Labour(CGT) also requested that the Valencian prosecutor's office investigate Mazón forcriminal negligence.
As of November, the Valencian government had not declared the situation a "catastrophic emergency", the maximumstate of emergencyavailable to a regional government, which would have made Mazón personally and legally responsible for managing the emergency response, thus keeping both political control at the regional level and legal blame toregional Minister of the InteriorSalomé Pradas Ten[es;ca],who was dismissed by Mazón on 22 November.
On 4 November, in an interview withCadena COPE, Mazón blamed the Spanish government and commanders of theMilitary Emergencies Unit(UME) for mismanaging the response to the flooding. He claimed that, at 15:21 on 29 October, he had requested the intervention of the UME in Utiel and Requena, and that theHydrographic Confederation, under the direction of Environment MinisterTeresa Ribera, had suppressed the alerts. This was swiftly denied by the Confederation, which stated that the regional government is responsible for issuing any alerts.General Francisco Javier Marcos, the commander of the UME, also rejected Mazón's claims. He stated that the UME had mobilised 1,000 soldiers on the day of the floods, but that it was subject to the orders of the regional government, which directed the emergency response. He said the moment the Valencian government gave the order, the UME deployed to affected zones within minutes.
On 15 November, Mazón acknowledged failures in detection and warning systems but said that he would not step down from his post amid protests.
On 20 November, Mazón appointed the retired military officer and former director of theSpanish Armed Forces Intelligence CenterFrancisco José Gan Pampols[es]as the new Vice President of the Valencian Government for Reconstruction.
TheSpanish governmentestablished a crisis committee to coordinate the national response to the disaster, with Prime MinisterPedro Sánchezpublicly noting his monitoring of damage reports and missing persons updates. TheMilitary Emergencies Unitdeployed to Valencia to aid rescue efforts. Emergency responders needed helicopters to lift residents inÁlora,Andalusiatrapped by a nearby swollen river.KingFelipe VIexpressed his "desolation and concern at the tragedy" and "together with the Queen, we wish to send our condolences to all the families affected who have lost loved ones and who still do not know what happened to their relatives" and held a video conference with the Military Emergency Unit.On 31 October, the King offered theRoyal Guardand theRoyal Household Security Serviceto the competent authorities to assist with the tragedy.Specifically, 195 royal guards and fifty civil guards with different specialties (divers, dog handlers and drone pilots, among others) were deployed.Three days of mourning were declared nationwide, from 31 October to 2 November.At the same time, over 30 October and 1 November, about 1,000 Spanish troops gradually deployed to the worst impacted areas.During the first 48 hours of the response, the military rescued 4,800 people and provided aid to 30,000 more. On 2 November, Sánchez deployed10000troops of theSpanish Armyto the Valencian Community, in the largest peacetime military deployment in Spanish history.
On 4 November, opposition leaderAlberto Núñez Feijóocalled for prime minister Sánchez to declare a nationalstate of emergency, which would involve the removal of thegovernment of Carlos Mazónand the imposition ofdirect ruleover the Valencian Community.On 5 November, the Sánchez government approved a decree to provide €10.6 billion (amounting to €60,000 per household) in fiscal aid to people affected by the floods.On 29 November,Labour MinisterYolanda Díazintroduced a new system of "paid climate leave", which would allow workers to stay at home for up to four days during weather emergencies.
On 23 January 2025, the central government said that it would fully cover the costs of repairing damaged buildings including about 100 administrative centres, 45 nursery schools, 58 libraries, 55 sports centres, 40 day centres and 16 markets, as well as water treatment, supply and sanitation infrastructure. The costs for repairing the buildings had been estimated at 1.7 billion euros ($1.8 billion), while that of water infrastructure was estimated at 500 million euros.
President of the Government of CataloniaSalvador Illavoiced "support and solidarity" to everyone affected. TheSupport Group for Special Operations[ca](GRAE) of theCorps of Firefighters of Cataloniawas reportedly assembling inTerres de l'EbreawaitingValencian Governmentapproval to help. On 30 October, GRAE once sent a medical team but was politically ordered back halfway, prompting GRAE members to decry Valencian regional presidentCarlos Mazón"prioritizingpoliticsabove rescuing and helping victims" but accepting firefighter help from theCommunity of MadridandAsturias.On 1 November, after 48 hours of refusing Catalan aid, they were finally allowed in.Navarreand other regional governments also sent numerous resources.On 2 November it was reported that twoSuper Puma rescue helicoptersfromAndalusiawere returned home after not being assigned any tasks for two whole days since deployed, with theJunta de Andalucíarepeatedly asking the Valencian government to assign them duties.
In the days after the flooding, without any government coordination, thousands of voluntary civiliansself-organizedto help affected towns; bringing supplies, including food and water, and helping clean up the mud and debris.As the Valencian government had not provided information for how to provide aid, and as police presence in the affected areas was minimal, volunteer groups were created autonomously to provide a response. The Valencian government attempted to discourage volunteer activities due to the danger of using damaged infrastructure,while emergency services requested that volunteers not use vehicles.Minister of HealthMónica Garcíaadvised volunteers to wearpersonal protective equipmentand long clothes, in order to prevent infection by contaminated waters.Municipal governments in the affected areas themselves called for popular support from volunteers; in many towns affected by the floods, Valencian volunteers arrived before theMilitary Emergencies Unit(UME) or police.
Volunteers also set up and organized diverse websites to help finding missing people, ask for help or collaborate with others in better organization.
On 1 November, the Mazón government announced the creation of a volunteer platform, in an attempt tocentralisethe volunteer response.Volunteers that attended the government-organised shifts reported "chaos" and "confusion" among the coordinators over the assignment of tasks and destinations; many volunteers disembarked their assigned buses and instead walked to the affected towns, returning to self-organisation.Seven of the buses transported volunteers to clean up ashopping center, rather than any of the affected villages; the volunteers refused to disembark, with one volunteer saying "we refuse to clean aZara, we are here to help people."In response to orange weather warnings, on 3 November, the Valencian government imposed restrictions onfreedom of movement, in particular setting the number of volunteers authorised to travel to Valencia’s southern suburbs to 2,000 and restricting access to 12 other localities;volunteers disobeyed the restrictions and sought alternative routes to affected towns.The restrictions coincided with the visit of the king and queen to the affected towns.
King Felipe VI,Queen Letizia, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Generalitat Valenciana President Carlos Mazónvisited the Valencia region to assess the damage and meet with those impacted on 3 November.On arriving in Paiporta, the retinue, which also included Valencian president Mazón, was met with protests from the locals and volunteers, who hurled mud and chanted "murderers".People expressed frustration over the perceived absence of adequate warnings and support from officials following the floods,while protesters urgedPedro SánchezandCarlos Mazónto resign.The King had broken his own security cordon to approach the residents and attempt to talk to them.Among the people that Felipe spoke to were a young man wearing aBlue Divisiont-shirtand another who, according to Valencian journalistMiquel Ramos[es], is the leader of a local neo-Nazi group.Queen Letizia was also pelted with mud, after going over to talk to residents.Sánchez left the site shortly after, and official cars were vandalized.Two bodyguards were injured.
A scheduled visit by the delegation later in the day to Chiva was cancelled.The prime minister later downplayed the attack as a "marginal act" and stated in a speech that: "the majority of the population wants a solution, commitments from the institutions, and what they want is to reject and marginalise any kind of violence that can be perpetrated".A volunteer of thefar-rightorganization "Revuelta" claimed responsibility for the attack; the far-right partyVoxoffered its legal services to the attackers.TheCivil Guardsubsequently opened an investigation into the involvement of far-right groups in the altercation.Three men from the province without known far-right links were arrested.
On 9 November, a demonstration of 130,000 people in Valencia asked for Mazón to resign, criticizing his response to the emergency. The demonstration was organized by cultural groups and labour unions, and was described as "mostly peaceful" by the Spanish government. Four people were detained, and thirty-one police officers were wounded.Angry protesters were seen clashing with riot police in front ofValencia City Hall, while others waved signs and banners with messages such as "You killed us" and "Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood".
The king returned to the province on 12 November to check up on the Armed Forces' ongoing efforts to respond to the disasterand on 19 November, the monarchs resumed the visit canceled two weeks earlier.Accompanied by Mazón and ministerÁngel Víctor Torres, the visit to Chiva went off peacefully.
Many governments sent their solidarity with the Valencian people, such as Argentina,Brazil,Chile,China,Cuba,Germany,Greece,Ireland,Italy,Japan,Mexico,United Kingdom,Ukraineand Uruguay.PresidentNayib Bukeleof El Salvador offered 300 paramedics and 20 tons of supplies.On 1 November, FrenchMinister of the InteriorBruno Retailleaureportedly offered firefighters, but SpanishMinister of the InteriorFernando Grande-Marlaskarejected them because the Valencian regional government is still managing the crisis without escalating to the central government.TheMoroccan,PortugueseandVenezuelangovernments also offered their help,while the government ofEquatorial Guineaapproved aid to be sent to Spain "to help dealing with the tragic consequences".
On 27 November, whilePedro Sánchezwas addressing theCongress of Deputies,Sky Newspublished an investigation into the local authorities' handling of the emergency.
German climatologistFriederike Ottoof theCentre for Environmental Policysaidclimate changeundoubtedly aggravated the heavy rain.Italian climatologist Stefano Materia also attributed the severity to climate change and called the currentMediterraneana "timebomb".
NumerousTwitch streamers, such asAuronPlayandIbai Llanos, made a charity fundraising to collect money for basic consumer goods and help the victims.Spanish role-playing server Marbella Vice II was reopened for the same purpose, to which streamers were invited to participate.Espe in representation of theQueens Leaguehelped the association Damos Nuestra Ilusión,whileElxokasand Reven sent food to people affected.TheGrefgdid the same onKick.
Several companies made donations to aid the victims.Real Madridcollected €1 million to help the victims,while billionaireAmancio Ortegadonated €4 million,and FundaciónLa Caixawith more than five million.On 4 November 2024, Fundación Amancio Ortega gave an additional $100 million.In the case ofMercadona, alongside Consum,it collaborated sendingnecessity goodswithCáritasand Bancos de Alimentos.
InEdinburgh,Scotland, an environmentalist group defacedSUVsin the city with the message "These cars kill Valencians" and left photographs of flood victims on the cars' windscreens. The group held SUV drivers partially responsible for the deaths caused in the floods, stating that "If SUVs were a country they’d be the 5th biggest world polluter".
During her hearings for hercommissioner’s role, theEuropean People's PartyquestionedTeresa Riberaover the management of the disastrous flash floods in Valencia, accusing her of ignoring the needs to update, drain and improve theRambla del Poyoas the head of theMinistry of Environment.Despite this initial opposition, her appointment was approved byEuropean Parliamenton 27 November 2024.