A REPORT into the effects on children of the October 29 Valencia floods says that over 30% of them admit- a year later- to still being afraid of the rain, storms or thunder.
Another conclusion is that 24% of children in flood-hit areas continue to have sleep problems.
The study called ‘With mud in the backpack‘ was conducted by Save The Children and Valencia University.
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Researchers spoke to 2,300 families affected by the flooding along with people involved with education, social services, charities and political leaders.
The report quotes a mother, Mari Carmen, who says her daughter suffers from trauma as a result of the aftermath of October 29.
“When it rains, she doesn’t want to go to English lessons and she’s afraid,” Mari said.
“I speak with other mothers and they all say the same thing: that when it rains, the children don’t want to go to extracurricular activities,” she added.
The report says there has been behavioural changes in children be it greater anxiety or persistent stress as well as a greater dependence on watching phone, computer or tv screens as an escape mechanism.
Adolescents manifest concentration difficulties (12.4%), spend more time with electronic devices (11.0%) and prefer social isolation (7.0%).
It says the main concern of families- 45.7%- surrounds the the emotional state of their youngsters.
Over half of families (52.4%) admit that their children have suffered with their education.
Save the Children head in Valencia, Rodrigo Hernandez, said: “In the face of any emergency, such as the one we are experiencing in Valencia, it is crucial that schools reopen as soon as possible.”
“In a context of crisis, going to school helps to regain a sense of normality and hope for these children,” he explained
Schools are not only a place of learning buy provide essential services such as a cafeteria- crucial for many low-income families.
In October 2024, more than 18,000 children in flood-hit areas depended on cafeteria access.
“Keeping it open after an emergency ensures healthy nutrition for those who need it most,” said Hernandez.
Being unable to attend school has particularly the emotional (71.6%) and relational (33.3%) states of students.
“After an emergency, the wounds that last the longest are psychological. In this case, we missed the need for the administration to provide more safe, protective, and caring spaces for children and adolescents to reduce the psycho-emotional impact on these children,” Hernandez observed.
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Children and adolescents in municipalities affected by the floods have stopped participating in sports (45.4%), outdoor activities (28.0%), recreational or cultural activities (25.0%), and extracurricular activities (24.7%).
“We don’t understand how, even today, many of the spaces where children and adolescents interact remain unrestored, even though they are essential for their development,” lamented Hernandez.
The issues caused by DANA Alice in October rekindled fears felt a year ago in the province.
In June, Save the Children warned that 93% of children in the area will experience at least one extreme weather event each year, making the Valencian Community the fourth most vulnerable region in Spain.
Families living in poverty are the most exposed to the consequences of global warming.
This is because the most vulnerable populations live in areas most impacted by extreme weather events and have less capacity to adapt.
Rodrigo Hernandez said: “Families with fewer resources have seen how the impact of climate change on housing and employment has led to a huge loss of purchasing power and greater difficulties in reconciling their work and family life, especially in the case of single-parent families.”
The ‘With mud in the backpack‘ report shows that almost 15% of the families surveyed lost their home and that one in four considers that their home is now less safe for children and adolescents than before the DANA.
Four out of five families (80.3%) living in ‘ground-zero’ flood municipalities occupy buildings that are still pending repairs or directly in homes that have been badly affected, but in which they are forced to live in.
A year later, the reconstruction of the area is driven above all by infrastructures and economic reactivation.
Save the Children warns of ‘the importance of not neglecting children, a group of priority attention in this process’.
It stresses that it is ‘essential that the welfare of children is taken account of in decision-making’.
Rodrigo Hernandez concluded: “It is necessary to strengthen the response in areas such as education, mental health and support for families in vulnerable situations, incorporating a preventive approach and placing children at the centre of decisions to guarantee their rights and strengthen their resilience to future emergencies.”
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