Tom Ewart Smith
IT HAS been six months since floods ripped through Valencia, killing 228 people and leaving entire communities drowning in grief.
But while nature may have sparked the disaster, many believe the true devastation was man-made.
Now, some of those responsible are finally being held to account.
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On October 29, Valencia faced one of Europe’s most catastrophic weather events in recent memory.
A gota fria storm system – long forecast by meteorologists – unleashed a year’s worth of rain in just hours.
Ravines became raging rivers. Cars floated through the streets of towns, where dozens died returning from work.
Families were swept away. Lives were lost in garages, homes, and on the roads.
And yet – as catastrophe closed in – the warning never came.
The region’s emergency alert system remained silent until 8.11pm.
Yes – pm, not am.
By then, it was too late. Aemet had issued a red alert before sunrise.
Emergency calls flooded the system all day. But the regional government – led by Carlos Mazon – waited until nightfall to act.
“The damage couldn’t have been avoided,” said Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra in a recent ruling.
“But the deaths could have.”
Tobarra, who is leading the criminal investigation into officials’ failure of duty, highlights an uncomfortable truth: The real tragedy lay not in the natural disaster, but the lack of leadership that followed.
Two senior officials – former emergency chief Emilio Argueso and Salome Pradas, who oversaw alerts – now face manslaughter charges.
Pradas admitted she didn’t even know about the emergency alert system until the afternoon it was needed.
The message that was eventually sent was not only late, but vague – asking people to avoid travel, even though many had already died in their homes.
Both were dismissed. Yet Carlos Mazon remains in office.
His failings didn’t start on the day of the disaster.
A year earlier, Mazon had scrapped the Valencian Emergency Unit, a specialised flood-response unit formed after fatal storms in 2019.
His government also promoted construction in flood-prone areas and rolled back climate protections.
While experts warned of increasing risk, Mazon prioritised cuts over caution.
In Paiporta, 62 people died. In Catarroja, 25. Many never had a chance – not because of what nature did, but because of what their leaders didn’t do.
Natural disasters are inevitable. Death on this scale is not.
Today, the scars remain.
The metro between Paiporta and Valencia still runs on a bus replacement.
Rubble fills the doorways of homes and businesses. Every cracked wall and broken shopfront is a brutal reminder of a nightmare that never needed to be this bad.
The anger hasn’t subsided either. Protesters have demanded Mazon’s resignation.
One proposal submitted to Valencia City Hall suggests building a clay statue of the president – a tribute to his absence during the floods.
The satirical inscription would read: “Carlos Mazon. I was informed at all times.”
However, amid the grief, there is a glimmer of hope – provided by Judge Tobarra, who has quietly become a symbol of justice.
Her own courthouse in Catarroja was flooded that day, but since then she’s gathered testimony from over 250 families, listened with empathy, and acted with resolve.
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Victims describe her as more than a judge – ‘like a close friend,’ said one grieving relative.
She has worked steadily to determine who held responsibility for warning the public, concluding that civil protection was a regional duty.
Even with the alert system overlooked, she noted, officials could have warned residents through radio, TV, or digital media.
While Mazon himself can only be charged by the Superior Court of Justice of Valencia, he has twice declined to testify, and still hasn’t explained where he was during those critical hours.
October’s unprecedented ‘natural’ disaster could yet become a landmark legal case.
Let’s hope in another six months, progress will have been made on the road to justice for Valencia’s victims.
