Late Sunday afternoon, the French National Meteorological Agency (Aemet) issued a “red” alert. “red (extreme danger) for the southern coast of Valencia, due to the risk of heavy rainfall (90 liters/m2, or 9 cm), raising fears of a new disaster scenario for the affected localities. In the immediate aftermath, residents were urged to return to their homes via megaphone, while cell phone alerts were sounded.

The alert was finally downgraded to orange shortly after 9:00 pm (20:00 GMT), but Valencia town hall decided to close classes on Monday to take account of the travel restrictions imposed by the regional government.

“It looks like the end of the world”

According to the latest figures, at least 217 people have perished in the floods – 213 in the Valencia region alone, three in Castilla-La Mancha, where the lifeless body of a septuagenarian reported missing on Tuesday was discovered on Sunday morning twelve kilometers from where she disappeared, and one in Andalusia. The authorities know that the death toll is set to rise. “There are still flooded first floors or garages, basements and parking lots to clear, and it is foreseeable that deceased people will be in these spaces.”warned Transport Minister Oscar Puente.

On the ground, the population continues to face a dramatic situation, with infrastructure destroyed or out of service and heaps of cars and debris on the road. According to the authorities, several thousand homes are still without electricity. “It looks like the end of the world”Helena Danna Daniella, owner of a bar-restaurant in Chiva, still in shock five days after the storm, told AFP. People trapped “were asking for help and there was nothing we could do (…) It drives you crazy: you’re looking for answers and you can’t find them.”.