Ten days after largest natural disaster suffered in Spain that devastated a large part of the province of Valenciathe ravages of a DANA that has been branded in the hearts of citizens are still visible. The ground floor of Manuela resident of the Valencian district of The Towerstill preserves the remains of the devastation, and its corners accumulate remains of mud and mud. As he brushes the dirt off the door, he celebrates that there is no longer mud insideand after ensuring that it will take several weeks to «get back to normal», thanks the help of the hundreds of volunteers who have shown their solidarity this week. «The Tower will be reborn».
This district was one of the most affected by the floods of last October 29and although it belongs to the municipality of Valencia, it is very close to other municipalities such as Alfafar, Benetússer or Paiporta. It’s your proximity to Valencia which has allowed it to advance more quickly in the cleaning work, since the quick access to this area facilitated the arrival of volunteers. The image of thousands of people will remain in memory forever. crossing the bridge one day after the floodnow baptized as “bridge of solidarity.”
The remains of the flood are still visible in every corner of the town. The streets are stained with mud and on the walls you can see the line that marks the «the flood reached here». But if just five days ago those same streets were mud rafts and cars accumulated on the corners, currently you can walk through La Torre while the machines and cleaning personnel advance in their work of clearing debris.
«Thank you to everyone who has come to lend a hand, The Tower can rise again» explains Eva, owner of a commercial basement that was completely flooded. Yesterday, for the first time since the floodwas able to open the shutter and begin the work of extracting water and cleaning mud. The blind, like so many others, was destroyed and they could not access the interior, but with the help from displaced troops and their own familynow they can start emptying the premises. «It was outrageous that no one came during the first hours of the flood. Neither the army, nor the firefighters, nor anyone to help us. Everything we have we owe to volunteers that the next day they were cleaning. “I don’t care who is to blame, but this cannot happen again.”
Walking through the streets of La Torre has become almost a «miracle» compared to the rest of the affected municipalities. But there is still a lot of work to do. In one of the garages All the water has been extracted, but there were still about fifteen vehicles inside that had to be removed with the help of a crane.
Pacoa neighbor of the property, is a worker in the SAV building maintenance and cleaning service, and cannot help but get emotional when he tells how he himself is one of the survivors of the night in which the DANA overflowed ravines and boulevards. «I barely have any memories of that night, I only know that I was clinging to a wall for hours and hours, while all the water dragged and pulled me. Thanks to a neighbor, who threw me a rope, I was able tie it around me and it saved my life. I could say that I have completed nine days of my new life.
((H3:«It has destroyed us»))
But although little by little it may seem that Tower returns to normalthere is still a long way to go. Elviraa 70-year-old neighbor, dedicates her days to cleaning the patio of her property, as well as the basement and stairs. Once the street is clear, she can focus her efforts on recovering normality behind closed doors. Of course, he can’t help but collapse when remembering everything he experienced. «This has destroyed us».
Something as everyday as going shopping is something that it will take time to repeatsince the supermarkets were devastated and until the clearing and cleaning tasks are completed, the recovery of these establishments and the replacement of food cannot begin. Meanwhile, they receive food from the City Hall servicesvolunteers and associations that distribute food and drink among affected families.
A brand new school
Among the thousands of stories left by the flood, there is also that of CEIP Padre Manjónan educational center that opened its doors last September and has been completely devastated by the flood.
own Elvirawho is currently retired but who worked in said center for 35 yearstells how due to some landslides the school had to close and refer the students to temporary barracks. This year, with the start of the school year, the new facilities were inaugurated and, with them, the excitement of the students and families for having a center in good condition close to home. Now, after the devastation, many of the students have had to be referred to welcoming schools in municipalities such as Quart de Poblet, Silla, Manises, L’Eliana or Valenciaamong others. Meanwhile, everyone, neighbors, municipal services, firefighters, police and volunteers, continues to work tirelessly for the rebirth of La Torre.