A Week After Spain's Floods, Families Hope Loved Ones Are Not Among the Dead

SEDAVI, Spain — Francisco Murgui went out to try to save his motorcycle when the water started to rise.

He never came back.

One week after devastating floods devastated eastern Spain, María Murgui still hopes that her father is alive and among the unknown number of missing.

“He was like many people in the city who went out to get their cars or motorcycles to a safe place,” the 27-year-old told the Associated Press. “The flood caught him outside, he had to hold on to a tree to escape from drowning. He called us and told us that he is fine, we don't have to worry.”

But when María entered the streets of Sedaví to try to free him from the waters that flooded everything in its path, he was nowhere to be found.

“He waited until 1 in the morning,” she said. “At 2, I went out with a neighbor and a rope trying to find him. But we didn't find him. And since then we haven't heard anything about him.”

At least 218 are confirmed dead after floods caused by heavy rains in late Oct. 29 and the next morning whole communities were filled, especially in the Spanish region of Valencia, which was unexpected. Regional authorities have been widely criticized for issuing mobile phone alerts two hours after the disaster began.

Authorities have not given an estimate for the seven days missing. Spanish regional broadcaster RTVE, however, shows a continuous stream of people looking for unidentified family members.

María Murgui herself posted a missing person message on social media with a picture of her father, a 57-year-old retiree.

“This is like a rollercoaster ride. Sometimes I feel really bad and sometimes I feel better. I try to stay positive,” he said. “This is really crazy. We don't know what else to do. There is no one else in town.”

Central government passes relief package

While many searched for their loved ones, recovery efforts in Sedaví and dozens of other communities moved forward slowly.

To help those in need, the central government approved an aid package of 10.6 billion euros for 78 communities on Tuesday. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez compared the measures taken during the violence of COVID-19.

The package includes direct payments of 20,000 to 60,000 euros to the owners of damaged houses, among other financial assistance for businesses and municipal governments.

“We have a lot of work to do, and we know it,” said Sánchez.

Sánchez said he would ask the European Union to help pay for aid, saying “it's time for the European Union to help.”

Many people still lack basic supplies amid the scenes of devastation

These floods left an apocalyptic wake.

Street after street in town and village is still littered with solid brown mud and mounds of damaged goods, piles of rotting plants, and wrecked cars. A bad smell comes out.

In many places, people are still facing shortages of basic goods, and lines are forming at emergency kitchens and must provide food. The water is flowing again but authorities say it is not safe to drink.

The ground floors of thousands of houses were damaged. It is feared that among some of the cars washed away by water or trapped in underground garages there may be bodies still waiting to be removed.

Thousands of soldiers are working with firefighters and police reinforcements in this massive emergency response. Police and soldiers searched the destroyed houses, countless cars littered the highways, roads, or stuck in the mud in ditches and ravines.

Authorities are worried about other health problems caused by the worst natural disaster in Spain's recent history. They urged people to get tetanus shots and treat any sores to prevent infection and clean mud from their skin. Many people wear face masks.

Thousands of volunteers are helping, filling the void left by the authorities. But frustrations over disaster management erupted on Sunday when a crowd in hard-hit Paiporta hurled mud and other objects at the Spanish royal residence, Sánchez and regional officials on their first visit to the flood-ravaged area.

The national government of Sánchez will announce a new relief package on Tuesday.

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, ​​Spain.