The pitch has been restored thanks to donations from LALIGA EA SPORTS and contributions to the ‘FILA CERO SOLIDARIA’ The ‘Mundial 82’ football pitch in Catarroja will reopen on Tuesday after undergoing rehabilitation made possible by Valencia CF and funds raised through the ‘FILA CERO SOLIDARIA’ as part of the Club’s ‘UNITS COM SEMPRE’ solidarity initiative Following the recent reopening of the Jaume Ortí Municipal Sports Centre in Aldaia this new inauguration further showcases Valencia CF’s commitment to supporting towns heavily impacted by the DANA and to partner clubs within the ‘Escoles VCF’ program plays its matches at the ‘Mundial 82’ and has been training at Valencia CF’s Ciutat Esportiva while the pitch was out of use Catarroja shares a deep connection with Valencia CF not only through its strong fan base but also as the birthplace of club legend and ambassador Ricardo Arias This restoration marks a new step toward reestablishing physical and educational routines for young footballers affected by the flooding helping to foster their personal and athletic development The reconstruction of football pitches also reflects the collaborative spirit behind the ‘Escoles VCF’ project which connects 43 partner schools to a model that emphasizes talent development It serves not only as a technical and educational exchange but also strengthens the bonds between clubs and the Valencia CF family was one of the first to join the ‘UNITS COM SEMPRE’ initiative matching the largest donation made to the FILA CERO SOLIDARIA they provided free private health insurance for over 1,000 children from flood-affected football schools Together with Valencia CF and the VCF Foundation Divina Seguros will also donate musical instruments to the ‘Societat Musical L’Artesana de Catarroja’ and the ‘Unió Musical de Catarroja’ both of which were affected by the DANA disaster LALIGA EA SPORTS’ involvement in the field's restoration is part of its global FC FUTURES initiative designed to promote access to high-quality football for children and young people worldwide footballs and sports equipment have also been distributed to local schools affected by the flooding Related news Ver todas the new stadium will offer nine different hospitality concepts that will go on sale before the end of 2025 Latest news Ver todas The defender talks over the win in Gran Canaria The Valencia CF coach analyses the win over UD Las Palmas CATARROJA, Spain — Lorena Silvent remembers exactly where she was on Oct. 29 last year when deadly floods struck the Valencia region, leaving 228 victims in their wake The mayor of Catarroja was standing in her office when she received a call from the chief of police warning her that parts of the city a suburb just south of Spain’s third-largest metropolis I could already see a brown stream starting to flow down the main street that crosses the city center it had become a rushing river that carried off everything in its path — first trash cans Some 200 people sought refuge in the upper floors of the city hall building that night And when the waters receded the following morning they discovered every building in the municipality had been damaged by the disaster the mayor is now overseeing a reconstruction effort predicated on the expectation that her city will someday flood again Silvent’s government is among the first in Valencia to formally recognize the role of newly formed citizens’ committees in the reconstruction effort bureaucrats and local residents are pioneering a new form of participatory urbanism empowering residents to reshape the devastated city That requires us to completely revise our approach to urbanism and question many of the things we’ve accepted until now,” the mayor said Valencians had to rely on one another to survive giving their neighbors shelter as the water level rose Faced with an apocalyptic scene as the floodwaters receded they helped clear each other’s streets and houses of waterlogged furniture and mountains of mud Catarroja resident and social educator Raül Camacho Segarra feels the show of civic unity was transformative for his community and others, who all felt betrayed by regional authorities that failed to warn them and were slow to aid in the recovery “This tragedy generated a social movement of volunteers willing to leap over police barriers to help one another in those crucial days,” he said As reconstruction discussions began, locals reflected on the region’s urban development, which was largely driven by speculative schemes that didn’t take factors like existing floodplains into account Expressing their frustration with past governments that greenlit such projects they decided to prevent that kind of city-building from happening again The result is the citizen-led reconstruction committees established in Catarroja and other flood-hit municipalities throughout Valencia Composed of a diverse collective of citizens — some with formal knowledge of architecture urbanism and public law — these apolitical groups have banded together to have an active say in the recovery process “We decided to redirect our anger at the status quo at the mismanagement of our land and of the floods in which 228 of our loved ones died and to channel that energy into our constructive demand to play an active role in the reconstruction of our city,” Camacho said they presented city hall with a list of priority cases and Catarroja’s authorities eagerly accepted the input It was the start of a fruitful collaboration that led the local government to share its draft reconstruction plan with the group and send representatives to its meetings “We’re talking about a sum that’s five times this city’s annual budget It’s imperative to have organized citizen oversight.” The scale of the Valencia region’s reconstruction challenge is formidable “We’ve also got to figure out how to move the machinery that powers city hall out of the basement and sort out the underground archive,” she said “It’s a miracle water didn’t seep into it this time Silvent noted the reconstruction process would require accepting that some buildings won’t be restored “There was a time when every city in this region demanded to have its own theater “Now we’re thinking maybe we’re okay with commuting to the installations in the neighboring town The biggest challenge, however, will be private property in the city’s most vulnerable areas. So far, Silvent’s government has moved to cancel all unapproved construction permits for the riskiest sites, and is in the process of developing regulations to ensure new buildings are designed to handle floods. It’s also trying to reclaim land from the Horta Sud a vast area of farmland that has historically helped soak up water in extreme weather events “This is land people have lately been buying up not because they wanted to cultivate food but because they wanted to engage in real estate speculation We want it back because reactivating it will give us access to local and because we know irrigation canals can help us evacuate water in future crises,” she explained Silvent said she’s confident citizens can help the city make these major changes more effectively. Earlier this month, her municipal government was among the first in the region to grant its local reconstruction committee official recognition, and to incorporate its representatives into administrative sessions including one overseeing the distribution of public funds to local businesses Valencian architect and social worker Júlia Gomar believes the partnership forged here and between other reconstruction committees and local administrations is a sign that something good is coming out of the tragedy in that it exposed how vulnerable we are as individuals and how much we need those neighbors we often hardly know,” she said “One’s doorstep became the border separating the public spaces where authorities could help and the private domains where you had to rely on common citizens,” she said noting that the military units deployed weren’t authorized to clean out homes “It helped generate a new sense of community that’s now going beyond the initial common feelings of anger and betrayal and instead becoming an agent for empowerment and change.” Silvent said that although it can be difficult to “involve the public in public administration,” it’s worth the effort right now “We’ve lived through an extreme crisis and people have lost a lot of faith in government I think we can help repair that relationship by bringing people in and letting them be a part of this process.” ideologically opposed European politicians are united in their ban of the practice People rarely think about Europe’s criss-crossing energy system what went wrong (and right) on Monday and what happens next “This has never happened before,” said Sánchez warning it may take longer than expected to restore power Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker stagnant water forms a gigantic puddle in the middle of the street until the sewage cleaners from Córdoba showed up and discovered that the liquid was not mud but fecal waste we’ve been surrounded by crap for weeks,” sums up a disgusted neighbor When you look into one of the underground garages that are still flooded and rotten furniture from the nearby storage rooms It has been 26 days since flash flooding devastated this small avenue in the town of Catarroja but there are things that seem frozen in time The street still has an apocalyptic air about it that has remained stagnant we returned to see how people and things were doing The head of the Valencia regional government Carlos Mazón of the conservative Popular Party (PP) recently asserted that affected municipalities “are slowly moving towards recovery and normality,” but any semblance of normality is still a long way from reaching this avenue or for that matter the entire town of Catarroja We need the street to be returned to a minimally habitable and healthy state.” much as the residents of Villar del Río anxiously waited for the Americans who never showed up in the classic 1953 satirical comedy Welcome Mr the mayor has not come around to provide any explanations the municipal water company from the Andalusian city of Córdoba (around 500 km or 310 miles away) shows up on the street The workers find the sewers completely backed up The prayers of Juanjo and the rest of the street’s residents have been answered A neighbor makes a video of them for TikTok The sidewalks are no longer a shapeless mass of mud There’s even a new manhole that the emergency services hadn’t noticed under the mud The street is certainly looking much better without the mud and the sewage which gives the residents a “psychological boost.” But there are still many problems to deal with In the block of low-rise houses there are several that have been evacuated and sealed off due to the risk of collapse And yesterday they told those who live in the other ones that they have to leave too something that the owners are trying to avoid unless they are shown an official report there is some good news: it is opening its doors again today But secondary students will have to learn online until they get prefabricated classrooms because many parts of the school still cannot be used Meanwhile the public secondary school I.E.S The teachers have organized online classes while other solutions are found which will probably involve temporary barracks There are still wrecked cars on the street because their owners are hoping that the “insurance people” will come around which they haven’t yet; the vehicles bear written signs warning that they are not to be removed The food and basic goods delivery point on the avenue is still open but nobody knows for how much longer as people have to go back to work On the perpendicular road there is a large open section of sidewalk covered in mud and rubbish which Rubén and Eva look at fearfully along with little Zoe Amparo Díaz and Antonio Luna have not yet left their apartment because they cannot go up or down stairs and the elevators are not working nor does anyone know when they’ll be operational again says she is not feeling “well at all.” María Asencio who lost the clothing boutique she runs with her daughter says she is living “in Groundhog Day”: “We put on our clothes And so it has been every day for a month.” They all start crying at the slightest provocation as soon as they start telling their stories “I’m not even angry anymore,” says Cristina Sigalat one of the women who runs the food and basic goods collection and delivery point Are they really saying that things are going back to normal Do you see anything normal here?” She is particularly worried about the garage in her apartment building The garage at number 36 was emptied out by the residents with the help of volunteers’ machines and after paying a sum to a company The garage at number 7 was emptied by the fire brigade because people had died inside and belongings that have been sitting there in extremely unsanitary conditions for weeks The handling of this issue has been erratic emergency services helped residents to remove mud from garages with machinery authorities told homeowner associations that they would have to take care of it and pay for it themselves More recently they were informed that they had to sign up to a list and that the Valencia Provincial Authority would take charge contacted Valencia regional premier Mazón and the head of the Valencia Provincial Authority to express his concern about the delay in addressing this matter can affect both public health and the structures of buildings homeowners at Number 32 were informed that a company hired by the provincial authorities is going to start emptying their garage and storage rooms “It seems that ours is going to be the first in Catarroja,” says Cristina The local councillor for Urban Development of the leftist regional political party Compromís (the mayor belongs to the Socialist Party) provides an account of the damage: There are still 170 flooded garages in town There are 2,500 primary school students and 3,000 secondary school students who have not returned to the classroom The music conservatory and sports facilities are destroyed At least 30% of the street lighting does not work there is no light in much of the town and walking through its streets is scary what you see best is the suspended dust that is everywhere nor does it look like it will do so for at least the next six months Businesses are mostly closed after sustaining extensive damage: 700 in the town itself and 500 in the nearby industrial park Nobody has a car anymore and public transportation is stretched to the limit Very close to Blasco Ibáñez Avenue there is a car cemetery with thousands of them piled on top of each other — there are a total of 120,000 cars destroyed by the floods accumulated in 60 locations Minister Grande-Marlaska has also asked this week for the vehicles to be taken as soon as possible to treatment centers so they can be converted into scrap metal there are glimpses of something resembling normality which reopened on November 22 and is like an oasis of cleanliness in the middle of the disaster: everything is spotless and smells of fabric softener and bread The health center started operating that same day Walking down it means walking through a succession of wreckage “It will be very difficult to return to the pre-storm era The municipality needs many more personal and material resources and more help All of us have a very strong psychological hangover.” What the psychologists said would happen is already happening At first the residents found superhuman strength to get ahead “I am not feeling well at all,” says Nuria Cabezas and we don’t know when we will be able to return.” Inside their home there are some brand new mattresses that someone gave them “We have been living at my mother-in-law’s house for a month with my husband Emilio’s two children And we have no prospect of being able to return here in months We still don’t know anything about the insurance or the direct aid and without money we cannot move forward.” Nuria is receiving therapy. “When the adrenaline went down, I also went down,” she explains. “Also, I have a fear that won’t go away. I see it raining and I start to shake. With the latest storm warning I think all the time that another flood could come What we saw and experienced that night was horror “And now it is all about waiting and waiting Waiting to see if they come to fix the street once and for all The only one we have received so far is from Juan Roig [owner of the Mercadona supermarket chain] for the self-employed I hope that the aid the government has announced will be quick and agile because without money this whole hell is going to go on forever.” The fatigue is evident on everyone’s face a month after the flood “Now we have also seen cracks in the walls that were not there before I don’t know if it is because the garage below is still flooded because psychologically this is affecting us a lot.” Maria also lives in one of the low-rise houses that authorities have just decided need to be evacuated beyond the fact that a firefighter has considered that the whole block is at risk,” says her daughter Sarai “We are going to ask an architect to come take a look.” They are people whose homes were not destroyed because they live on the second but who have not been able to leave since October 29 because they are elderly or have mobility problems and the elevators do not work There are two of them at number 32 on Blasco Ibáñez Avenue: Antonio Luna and Amparo Díaz Amparo is 84 years old and lives with her daughter Fany Fany recently underwent surgery for ovarian cancer and she hardly ever goes out She gets very tired and is scared of living with so much filth and mud so she has been looking after her mother 24 hours a day for a month Aitana is the one who brings them medicines She is not very aware of what has happened outside they have only told her that there was flooding and that she cannot go out she looks at you intently and says that she just wants to die and stop being a burden on her family Before, she would go out every day in her wheelchair. Hortensia, her caregiver, would take her to the market or to drink an horchata and then she would spend the afternoons with Fany she dreams a lot and calls out for her mother,” her daughter says which has marked a before and after in their lives He has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease wears an oxygen mask for many hours a day and cannot go down stairs He has spent a month between the dining room chair and the balcony He goes out there to get some fresh air and have shouted conversations with his neighbors “I used to go to the market or have a coffee every day,” he says and with an anxiety that I can’t get rid of Thank goodness my children and grandchildren come to see us because in here you get overwhelmed I sleep very little and I am looking forward to the dawn to stop thinking about everything And it could be months before they fix the elevators.” He cries again “There is still a need for a lot of machinery here more institutional presence,” says a volunteer at a food distribution point Sometimes we get the feeling that they are not aware of the conditions we are living in this place should be full of people helping citizens to get back to normal some with soldiers… but most of them are empty You don’t get the feeling that there is any intensive reconstruction work going on And anyone who walks around here for a day can see this Is the emergency situation really going to last forever in Spain in 2024 due to a lack of resources?” the head of studies at the Paluzié public school regrets that no one has yet come to see to the few things that need fixing so that they can reopen “There has been no structural damage at this school,” she says Don’t they realize how important it is for children to go back to school At most 10% of them are relocated in other centers The rest have been at home for a month.” Families fear that the recent death of a worker at a school in Massanassa has left the authorities in shock and everything will be slowed down even further who is in charge of managing the food and basic products point “What the politicians have not yet understood is that when we complain what we are asking for is more institutional action,” she says and is very critical of the management of the crisis by regional premier Mazón and his government as a whole “But I think that everyone should review their actions in this disaster,” she argues (regional authorities have blamed the slow response on the national government I do not understand why a month later the councillors of the six zones into which the municipality is divided are not on the street all day long talking to the residents and jotting down their needs and ordering the priorities You go to the Town Hall and they ask you to fill out forms She also regrets that political polarization is preventing cooperation in the face of a tragedy of this magnitude. “They cannot ask us to avoid mentioning that we’ve pulled through thanks to volunteers so as not to give wings to the far right I am very concerned about the rise of populism but that does not mean that I cannot criticize this crisis management I have been down on the street for a month the [central] government should have taken charge And even if they believed that it was better for the coordination to be handled at the regional level due to being physically closer they should still have tried by all means to get more involved I would tell everyone that there will be time enough to determine everyone’s responsibilities Now they should focus on what we urgently need: many more resources and for the aid to be easily and quickly accessible.” When people meet on the streets of Catarroja there is only one topic of conversation They talk about “that night,” about where their son or daughter-in-law are living right now whether or not it is true that Paco has died how they have to look after their grandchildren because there are no schools how the buses are packed early in the morning and take hours to get where you need to be or how it seems impossible that things will ever get back to normal and you go into the mud,” says an older man to a friend he has run into Many people ask to buy numbers ending in 29 or 9 “I wake up crying and I go to bed crying,” says Amparo what she saw floating on the rising waters were horses and cows “If we were to win at least a little bit of the lottery we could fix our houses and our businesses,” she says Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition following unprecedentedly violent rains in the Valencia region of Spain have resulted in at least 213 deaths and dozens missing In response to the country’s worst natural disaster residents and experts are calling for the establishment of a true culture of prevention José Vicente walks amid the debris and entangled cars in Chiva's industrial zone He searched for a container big enough among the scattered items on the ground: “We don’t have water This Spanish city of nearly 17,000 inhabitants was struck October 29 by extremely violent rain — up to 400 liters per square meter in a few hours more than the average annual precipitation The resulting floods caused at least 213 deaths and dozens of missing persons in the region marking the country’s worst natural disaster José Vicente vented his anger: “They warned us too late The alert from civil protection on our mobile phones arrived at 8:10 p.m several towns in the province were already being swept away by torrents of mud that destroyed everything in their path As rain began to pour over the province’s highlands the Spanish meteorological agency issued a red alert on Tuesday morning especially in downstream towns further east where it wasn’t even raining when the floods began flowing from upstream There was no specific directive from authorities: some schools opened the frequent occurrence of “cold drop” phenomena—isolated high-altitude depressions—along this part of the Mediterranean coast may have lessened the perception of risk over time who came to help clear the mud that flooded a hotel at the town's entrance “The authorities should pass a decree forbidding people from going out during a red alert No driving and the ability to stay off work without fear of being fired!” he fumed it won’t matter—we’ll have done prevention many people wouldn’t have been trapped in their cars authorities in Madrid issued a red alert warning of “exceptional” rains sparking controversy over the economic impact of the restrictions on movement “We need a system like that in the United States for hurricanes with more coordination between the central government and the regions,” said Jorge Olcina a geographer and director of the climate laboratory at the University of Alicante authorities will likely need to mandate evacuations if necessary.” the issue runs deep: “We Spaniards don’t have a culture of prevention Risk isn’t politically interesting; only disasters drive action.” Manuel head of a renewable energy company in Bunol Kids should be trained in schools on what to do in case of floods: not using cars the manager of a hotel at Chiva’s entrance stood in muddy boots alongside dozens of volunteers believing there is still much to do in terms of climate change awareness “We see these disasters in distant countries on TV a researcher at the National Museum of Natural Sciences and an expert in natural hydrological risks the primary problem lies in land management natural water channels from the mountains that turned deadly: “They are dry rivers We should reforest upstream of these channels and give them more space This issue is well-known among researchers “Many buildings have been in flood-prone areas since the 1960s,” Olcina noted the first in Spanish urban planning history which requires risk assessments before construction Could one solution involve diverting these channels? Spanish dictator Francisco Franco made a similar decision in the 1970s to construct a major canal to reroute the river that once flowed through Valencia after a terrible flood in 1957 killed 81 people This artificial canal allowed Valencia to emerge from this tragedy unscathed Francisco saw his house flooded just meters from the rambla he remained realistic yet conflicted: “We always forget what happened 60 years ago King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia had to end their visit to Paiporta the epicenter of the floods in Spain November 3 after near-riot scenes The residents' anger was mainly directed at Valencia’s right-wing regional president and socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez resign!” “How many dead?” “Get out!” the crowd shouted accusing the authorities of abandoning them At first glance, Elder Ulisses Soares’ Nov 6-17 European ministry itinerary seemed jam-packed with a diverse collection of meetings visits and interactions — common to typical ministry itineraries for him and his fellow members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Over a dozen-plus days in four countries and two different Church areas in Europe Elder Soares spent substantial time in a half-dozen major cities — Rome He alternated visits with friends of other faiths government leaders and heads of charitable organizations with larger-scale meetings with members prerecording a Rádio Televisão Portugal interview for the TV show “Caminhos” and returning to Porto for the first time on official assignment since Elder and Sister Soares led the Portugal Porto Mission more than two decades earlier he presided over and spoke at a countrywide multistake conference meeting broadcast from Barcelona in the morning took a flight of more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) to Paris stopped with Sister Soares for a quick visit of the Paris France Temple and visitors’ center since it was their first time visiting the city on a special assignment and then met in the nearby Versailles meetinghouse for a devotional with youth ages 16 and older and young single adults that was broadcast across France However, some of the most memorable moments and experiences came not from scheduled events but with late changes to his scheduled itinerary and last-minute opportunities, such as when Elder Soares cleared a day’s full schedule to travel to Valencia and nearby Catarroja Elder Soares had three scheduled meetings with as many local charitable organization with the Church prepared to make substantial donations to each But he learned of the massive flooding and deaths and damage in Valencia the previous week and the struggles and sufferings of Latter-day Saints and others there donations will eventually be given in the days ahead but the opportunity to go there and be with those people in Valencia is unique,’” Elder Soares said “And I really felt in my heart the Spirit saying Elder Soares said he was impressed with the organization and efforts — directed by Valencia Spain Stake President José L. Barría Fernández— at the stake center and the Catarroja Ward meetinghouse. “He transformed those two buildings into centers of distribution of goods, food, water and hygiene kits to all people — not just for the members, but for whomever in need in the whole community,” Elder Soares said. “I felt very impressed by his loving heart and desire to help people that were suffering.” Starting at the Catarroja meetinghouse, Elder and Sister Soares and Elder Alliaud spent time with the flood survivors there, listening to and embracing each. “We could see how emotional people felt as they saw the Church’s senior leaders paying attention to them in their very moment of suffering,” Elder Soares said. “We greeted, hugged each other, cried together and shared the love of the Savior with them. I thought that was the most important thing we could do that day — we all felt closer to Jesus Christ. That day, I felt like the Savior was embracing all of us.” The three visitors also stopped at the stake center, similarly greeting the some 50 Latter-day Saint volunteers and others who had worked for days in an area safe from flood waters in distributing water, food and supplies. Elder Soares and Elder Alliaud continued to the Hospital La Fe, meeting Latter-day Saint Raúl Gámez Fuentes. Trying to cross a flooded street to reach his children safe in an upper floor of their home, he had stepped in an open manhole and severely injured a leg — enough that doctors later feared the need to amputate it. Elder Soares and Elder Alliaud shared prayers and expressions of faith, hope and gratitude with Gámez Fuentes, his wife and the Latter-day Saint man who learned of the accident and hospitalization and spent days with Gámez Fuentes in his hospital room. Said the Apostle of the day in Valencia: “It was a whole experience that taught me a lot about the importance of ministering to the one, listening to the ones who are suffering, embracing each other when one faces challenges. … I think the Savior comes through in these actions and His influence stays with people when we have that opportunity.” Another rescheduled highlight came on Thursday, Nov. 14, where previously scheduled meetings with key Portugal government leaders fell through and a meeting with the Catholic patriarch of Lisbon, Bishop Rui Valério, and Father Peter Stilwell, the interfaith coordinator in the Portuguese Catholic Church. Elder Soares was scheduled to meet with them at 5 p.m. in Lisbon, which would preclude him and his wife from hopefully reaching the lighthouse at Leça da Palmeira just north of Porto area by dusk, since Porto is nearly 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Lisbon. But when he learned the Catholic leaders were in a morning conference in Fátima, a Catholic worship place, located between Lisbon and Portugal, he was able to reschedule a noon meeting with them there. The two were appreciative of Elder Soares having met the day before with officials of Cáritas Portugal, the country’s division of the Catholic Church’s humanitarian organization. With the early afternoon meeting, Elder and Sister Soares were still able to arrive at the lighthouse before dusk, where he taped a social media video recounting the location’s importance during their mission service. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ulisses Soares (@ulisses__soares) There they took newly arrived missionaries watching the beam of light from the lighthouse cutting through the encroaching darkness and using it as an analogy to the gospel of Jesus Christ shining through the darkness of the world can bring light into the lives of people,” said Elder Soares “There is a spirit that we can feel when you compare that light with the light of the Savior that can bring peace and joy into the world and the lives of people; that is what I wanted missionaries to feel and experience that moment.” During the dozen days, Elder Soares met with missionaries from five missions — Spain Barcelona, Portugal Lisbon, Portugal Porto, France Paris and France Lyon, the latter by videoconference while in Paris. Besides the broadcast-across-Spain multistake conference originating in Barcelona on Nov. 10, he also presided over a Sunday, Nov. 17, conference for Portugal’s Porto, Porto North and Coimbra stakes as well as Saturday leadership and priesthood leadership trainings with stake and ward leaders in Barcelona and Porto on Nov. 9 and 16, respectively. In addition to the Paris devotional, he and Sister Soares also spoke to Porto-area young single adults in a Nov. 16 devotional. Also in Portugal, Elder Soares and Elder Whiting traveled to Setúbal, to Centro de Apoio ao Sem Abrigo, or CASA, a food bank where Latter-day Saints have been volunteering weekly for many years, helping to provide hot meals for homeless individuals. There, the two leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ joined in helping prepare meals by peeling potatoes, cutting meats and chopping produce. In Rome, Elder Soares welcomed Rabbi Ariel Stofenmacher, touring the Rome temple grounds and visitors’ center on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The small group also visited the FamilySearch center on the visitors’ center second floor, where the rabbi surprised the Apostle by showing he had already downloaded the FamilySearch app and found three generations of his family. “FamilySearch helps people to find their own [ancestors]. We as Jewish people, we have been scattered all over the world,” said Rabbi Stofenmacher, rector of the Marshall T. Meyer Latin American Rabbinical Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “So, [FamilySearch] gives you the opportunity to go back in time and meet your family.” Show Breaking News BarCloseNewsJoseph Wilson Full Screen1 / 19Previous photoNext photoA "Falla" figure structure made of cardboard and other materials is damaged in an area affected by floods in Catarroja (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)People clear mud from a street in an area affected by floods in Catarroja (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)A man looks at the damage and debris in front of a house a affected by floods in Alfafar (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)Civil Guards check cars for bodies in an indoor car park after floods in Paiporta (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)A Civil Guard walks in a flooded indoor car park to check cars for bodies after floods in Paiporta (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)Civil Guards wade into an indoor car park to check cars for bodies after floods in Paiporta (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)Part of a rotating World Globe Map showing Spain is covered in mud after floods in Paiporta (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)A man wipes mud off his face in an area affected by floods in Catarroja (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)A firefighter works in the entrance of an underground car park in the MN4 shopping centre as rescue workers look for bodies on the outskirts of Valencia (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)Emergency services remove cars in an area affected by floods in Catarroja (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)Vehicles trapped after the floods are pictured in an area affected by floods in Catarroja (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)Emergency services remove cars in an area affected by floods in Catarroja (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)A body found in the MN4 shopping centre on the outskirts of Valencia Spain is placed in a funeral van after floods in the Valencia area (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)A soldier works in an area affected by floods in Catarroja (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)Civil Guards walk in a flooded indoor car park to check cars for bodies after floods in Paiporta (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)A man looks out of a window of his house in an a affected by floods in Alfafar (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)People walk through a street with piled furniture and rubbish on the sides in an area affected by floods in Benetusser (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)Copyright 2024 The Associated Press A "Falla" figure structure made of cardboard and other materials is damaged in an area affected by floods in Catarroja BARCELONA – Continuing storms in eastern Spain that led to massive flooding last week and killed at least 217 people prompting authorities to suspend commuter rail service Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he was suspending all commuter trains in northeast Catalonia at the request of civil protection officials Mobile phones in Barcelona screeched with an alert for “extreme and continued rainfall” on the southern outskirts of the city The alert urged people to avoid any normally dry gorges or canals Puente said the rains had forced air traffic controllers to change the course of 15 flights operating at Barcelona’s airport Several highways have been closed due to flooding a city in southern Catalonia about halfway between Barcelona and Valencia Meanwhile, in Valencia, the search continued for bodies inside houses and thousands of wrecked cars strewn in the streets, on highways, and in canals that channeled last week's floods into populated areas Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that authorities can still not give a reliable estimate of the missing has broadcast pleas for help by several desperate people whose loved ones are unaccounted for searched in a huge shopping center's underground parking lot for possible victims They used a small boat and spotlights to move around in the huge structure with vehicles submerged in at least a meter of murky water Police spokesman Ricardo Gutiérrez told reporters that so far some 50 vehicles had been found and no bodies had been discovered there The Bonaire shopping mall's 1,800 underground parking spaces quickly filled with water and mud on Tuesday and Wednesday when the southern outskirts of Valencia were hit by a tsunami-like flooding The team is using four pumps to remove the water Citizens, volunteers and thousands of soldiers and police officers pressed on with their gargantuan clean-up effort to clear out mud and debris Spain is used to autumn storms that can lead to flooding but the latest ones have produced the deadliest flooding in living memory for Spaniards Climate scientists and meteorologists say the immediate cause of the flooding was a cut-off lower-pressure storm system that migrated from an unusually wavy and stalled jet stream It was likely fueled by a record-hot Mediterranean Sea That system simply parked itself over the region and unleashed a deluge The Spanish navy’s “Galicia” transport vessel arrived in Valencia’s port on Monday with marines helicopters and trucks loaded with food and water to help with the relief effort which included 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"Temporarily closed due to the storm." It seems almost a play on words but it is the sign that greets would-be visitors to the cemetery of Catarroja (a Valencian town of 29,000 inhabitants) almost at 'ground zero' to the storm damage from the 'Dana' as its neighbouring town is Paiporta where most fatalities occurred including volunteers and staff from Eserca (the municipal company that manages the cemetery) working hard to remove all the mud that has turned the walkways of this historic cemetery into a quagmire - a cemetery that dates from 1889 and where 130 mausoleums or family tombs and 6,500 coffin niches are located In some areas the water was more than 1.7 metres high and reached almost halfway up the second row of niches" who has been caretaker and gravedigger here for 19 years (a trade he inherited from his father) and who everyone in Catarroja - a town of nicknames - calls Cacau after the peanut farm that his great-great-grandfather used to run a diligent man who takes care of "my deceased" as if they were his own flesh and blood has forgotten to take down the poster announcing the temporary closure The cemetery finally reopened its doors last Friday to host the first burials two women aged 73 and 95 who died of natural causes 10 days ago but who had not been able to be buried until now due to the damage caused by the flood and the impossibility of even gaining entry to the cemetery the funeral parlour employers' association in Spain Valencian families affected by the closure of cemeteries or transferring the body for burial in another cemetery that is still in operation or keeping the body in cold storage at their parlours while waiting for everything to be sorted out Such a Plan B no longer applies to Catarroja cemetery which has been in operation since Friday after ten days of hard work cleaning all the walkways and tidying up the niches that were damaged by the force with which the water penetrated on the night of 29 October this surge of floodwater uprooted the two huge doors of the main entranceway knocked down part of the stone wall and swept furiously towards the final resting place of the town's dead causing serious damage to 150 niches and some old family tombs "We have been cleaning the graves for days because people are calling us asking about their dead and we don't want them to find something unpleasant when they come," explained Cacau a legion of volunteers and municipal workers have not stopped in the twin tasks of removing the mud and then cleaning the slabs of the tombs until they are spotless The water washed away many tombstones and partitions leaving the remains of the deceased inside the niches visible sealing the marble and covering the inside once more is what occupies Cacau at the moment now we're repairing the damage and tidying up the niches so that everything will be in order if anyone comes to visit the deceased." The municipal company is trying to locate the families who own the most affected mausoleums so that they can open the doors and check for damage "We don't have the keys so we can't take action," says María Luisa Martínez who is constantly answering calls while coordinating the clean-up work Protected from top to toe in wellies and a face mask Martínez assured us that the town council's priority is to ensure that the cemetery is ready to receive the families "If it is hard enough to come to a cemetery we have to try to make sure that when they come they find it as tidy as possible." was unable to celebrate All Saints' Day on 1 November so it is likely that many residents of Catarroja will want to visit their loved ones in the coming days after being left with nothing because of the Dana have poured their feelings into their loved ones and want to know how their graves are I put myself in their shoes and I understand perfectly well because I have my father buried here" Volunteers from Catarroja and other municipalities in Valencia were still shovelling and sweeping away the mud yesterday workers on the ERTE furlough scheme at Ford Almussafes did not stop clearing away the mud that had accumulated between the graves but you have to help everywhere," said Rosendo At least one of the three burials planned for the next few days corresponds to a resident of Catarroja The family of another deceased requested that he be cremated because they needed to close the grieving process and be able to focus on recovering their lives after having lost everything This is not the case of the sisters Juana and Dolores one of the women buried this Friday on the day the cemetery reopened "We were given the option of cremating my mother but she wanted to be buried next to my father and we have fulfilled her wishes" who was known in Catarroja as Lola la Volcacarros died the same night as the 'Dana' in her daughter Dolores's home a ground-floor property in the Las Barracas area Shortly before the water washed everything away her husband and daughter carried her mother upstairs Despite the daughters' unsuccessful efforts to have their mother taken to a mortuary Dolores' body remained for two days in one of the upstairs bedrooms covered with two blankets and with the windows open "We have had her dead at home for two days Every time I needed to go into the room I saw my poor mother there." an official from the Guardia Civil arrived at the house on the 31 October to take Dolores' body to a morgue in the city of Valencia "She has been there alone in a chamber for eight days without our being able to bury her until now She had even prepared the photo she wanted at the wake.. "At least she's with my father now," they console themselves as they say goodbye to their mother dragging their boots through the mud and blowing a kiss from behind their face masks "Who would have thought we would bury her like this?" Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados Valencia CF and the Fundació VCF have signed an agreement with the Ajuntament de Catarroja and FBCD Catarroja to rebuild and restore the Mundial 82 football field which was devastated by the DANA storm last October After announcing the reconstruction of the Aldaia and Sedaví football fields the solidarity initiative ‘UNITS COM SEMPRE’ continues to support football by aiding communities most affected by the disaster This new effort reinforces Valencia CF’s commitment to grassroots football extending help to another team within the ‘Escoles VCF’ program Thanks to the financial contribution from the club—donating the ticket revenue from the match against Real Betis—along with generous donations from major shareholder Peter Lim Divina Seguros (the club’s official insurer) and support from various organizations such as LALIGA through EA Sports as well as the Valencian fanbase via the FILA CERO SOLIDARIA Valencia CF and the Fundació VCF will help hundreds of children resume their physical and educational activities in one of the areas most affected by the flash floods Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain and this is never more accurate than when you establish yourself as a foreign resident in a new country Being able to quickly familiarise yourself with the culture and customs can help ease the transition during a challenging time This is why Euro Weekly News makes it our mission to provide you with a free news resource in English that covers both regional and national Spanish news – anything that we feel you will benefit from knowing as you integrate into your new community and live your best life in Spain you can forget about translating articles from Spanish into awkward English that probably don’t make much sense Let us be your convenient and essential guide to all things that will likely affect you as a foreign resident living in Spain An outbreak of fire destroyed cars at a vehicle lot in Catarroja The dozens of vehicles being stored in the lot had been damaged during the DANA floods which broke out on Sequia Rascanya Street is similar to one which broke out the previous day in the nearby Alberic landfill where belongings also ruined in the DANA floods have been deposited said that the fires were suspected of being ‘intentional.’ Firefighters working to extinguish the Catarroja fire had to use a crane to separate and cool the cars Emergency Services also issued a special notice on social networks advising residents to remain in their homes and keep doors and windows closed to prevent breathing in fumes Catarroja’s mayor complained that they are ‘tired of reporting’ for something to be done about the dangerous lots storing DANA damage Over a month has passed since the tragic destruction caused by the DANA in Valencia the vehicles still haven’t been uncontaminated or cleared away In Catarroja alone there are upwards of ten lots like this storing damaged vehicles Problems with insurance companies and proving ownership complicates the removal of the vehicles as city councils to try to advance the removal these cars as ‘urban waste’ under law which classes damaged vehicles as such if they been abandoned for over 15 days The Minister of Emergencies and Interior, Juan Carlos Valderrama, recently called a special meeting with local police and security forces to discuss the possible surveillance of these vehicle lots Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain by delivering news with a social conscience we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP) Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall) All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE Download our media pack in either English or Spanish Lemma ShehadiNovember 02 Over 200 people have died in areas around Valencia Rescuers have continued to comb through the mud and flooded streets looking for people missing for days while individuals have worked to shovel dirt and mud from homes Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been left with damaged or completely destroyed homes The Church’s Europe Central Area presidency wrote a letter offering their condolences on Friday One member of the Church was killed in the floods and another is recovering in the hospital with a leg injury, according to a news release on the Church’s Europe Newsroom site many Latter-day Saints in the area are working to help their neighbors in whatever way they can is leading and coordinating a lot of the relief efforts “Church members have been affected significantly by this flood they are hopeful about the recovery,” President Barriá said “We will continue to push forward helping the community with its immediate needs and with its long-term recovery.” President Barriá said there have been many miracles and an overwhelming response to help from all over Spain “The prayers and concern from members all over the world are greatly appreciated,” he said Part of the recovery effort is gathering much-needed cleaning supplies shovels and water pumps have been collected to help people clean up the mud left behind by the torrential rain Volunteers have also gathered and distributed clean clothes and food staples with windows broken and a basement flooded The Church has set up a control center at another local meetinghouse in the Quatre Carreres neighborhood to serve as a hub for volunteers and a place where other organizations can collect supplies to support their own respective relief efforts All missionaries in the area are safe and accounted for Self-reliance and welfare missionaries have joined the response efforts working with the Valencian Community Emergency Center and local city authorities Other missionaries for the Church have helped clean the mud from the streets in Catarroja Firefighters have extinguished a blaze that broke out at a massive car graveyard in Catarroja in Spain's eastern Valencia region Flames and a column of smoke could be seen late on Monday 16 December at the makeshift storage yard where cars wrecked during the 'Dana' storm were being stored The dangerous situation initially forced local authorities to advise residents living nearby to keep the windows and doors of their homes firmly shut The fire started in an interior point of the open area where hundreds of cars have been piled up since early November Firefighters focused on removing parts of the vehicles to create a firebreak as fire engulfed cars and caused them to explode Firefighters' efforts prevented the flames from reaching the nearby Villa Carmen area Authorities first received an alert around 7.33pm with a fire brigade from Catarroja and two others from Torrent first on the scene Catarroja town hall advised the population to stay indoors as a precautionary measure especially in Villa Carmen and in the areas closest to Avenida Jaume I "When we arrived there were around 30 cars burning," Catarroja mayor Lorena Silvent told the media "The fire has been under control at all times but due to the toxicity of the environment we have recommended to the nearest residents to stay in their homes with the windows closed." Silvent said the wrecked car storage facility was being emptied progressively although cars continued to be dropped off there as vehicles were removed from garages and still needed to be decontaminated also went to the area of the incident together with councillor Juan Carlos Valderrama The councillor said the total number of vehicles on fire was around 50 with seven teams of firefighters displaced to control the blaze Valderrama said the issue of the open area where hundreds of vehicles left unusable by the 'Dana' have accumulated "worries us a lot" "I have asked the Cecopi (the coordination centre between administrations) to hold an urgent meeting this Tuesday to guarantee the surveillance of both the vehicle camps and the removed goods," he told the media that has ended up in flames after catching fire for apparent unknown reasons there was a similar incident at a dump in Alberic with rubbish left by the 'Dana' catching fire and threatening homes in the San Cristóbal housing estate Several homes were evacuated as a precaution Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you King Felipe and his family made an unexpected trip to one of the worst affected villages in October’s floods.  and received a warm welcome from the locals The King and Queen of Spain had already visited the area with most people remembering the first visit for Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía this was the first time visiting the area affected by the weather phenomenon known as a Dana which led to the devastating floods as the heir was in Marín undergoing her naval training and her younger sister was in Wales for her last year at UWC Atlantic and the royals had a chance not only to stop and see how daily life is going for the local population after the disaster but they also had a chance to support local businesses The family of four was pictured with the entire staff of the restaurant they chose for their lunch They had also previously posed for pictures with the staff and customers of the market they visited – one of the village’s most affected areas but also one of the first to reopen for business.  Many locals describe their surprise at seeing the four royals walking through the market as the visit had not been announced in advance and did not figure in the Royal Household’s diary The owner of a restaurant told local newspaper ‘Levante’ that “It was unexpected taking pictures with everyone for more than half an hour”.  who posted about the encounter on their profiles with one caption reading: “Thank you for coming to Catarroja because with your presence you make it so that they won’t forget us”.  The visit seems to be part of an effort by the Royal Household to keep the areas affected by the floods in everyone’s minds while also spending time with all sectors of society involved from the local population to the military and first responders involved in the ongoing relief efforts to those focussing on reconstruction.  King Felipe went back alone to meet with the military personnel that has been tasked with cleanup and rescue efforts the King and Queen went back to the area together – a visit that was uncertain until the very last minute given the tension that had marked the previous one only 15 days earlier.  Now that many are preparing for holidays that will be incredibly different and some comfort in the knowledge that the locals File: People with masks and soldier remove mud in a flooded street on November 6 Madrid: Spain's King Felipe VI and his family on Sunday carried out a surprise visit to one of the towns worst hit by deadly floods in October When the king and Queen Letizia went to the region with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez five days after the October 29 floods that left hundreds dead The royal couple went on a "private" visit this time with their daughters Leonore and Sofia Pictures and videos on social media showed inhabitants of Catarroja taking pictures and talking with the royal family as they walked around Catarroja accounted for 25 of the more than 230 people killed in the disaster Two weeks after the November 3 when they were jeered King Felipe and Queen Letizia returned for a visit without incident and on December 9 they attended a mass for the victims at Valencia cathedral You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed The bodies of two children who went missing in the Valencian town of Torrent during the devastating 'Dana' floods have been found this Wednesday 13 November eight kilometres from where they disappeared The boys' relatives confirmed the tragic news in a message posted to social media: "This nightmare of 15 days of madness is over Thank you to all the volunteers from all over Spain We are speechless for all the help we have received these days We will be grateful for the rest of our lives," they wrote Torrent had turned its attention to searching for the two boys after they were swept away by flood waters from their house on 29 October in the Masía del Juez area the town hall launched a search operation where between 40 and 60 people including Local Police officers firefighters and volunteers had been working tirelessly to locate them A Local Police drone did not stop searching the whole area machinery was used to remove the mud from around the house in case they might have been buried underneath the last time she saw her grandchildren was at home their father picked them up as it was expected to rain a lot when the electricity went out and shortly afterwards tried to grab the boys but they slipped out of his hand He was able to hold on to a tree where he remained for several hours until he could be rescued Torrent has also had to mourn the death of two other minors in their vehicle in the area of the Alaquás bridge when they were swept away by flood waters The children could not be saved and their bodies were found the following day in an orange grove entre em contato com: Apoio ao cliente e anexe o código do erro Tienda online de Mercadona donde podrás comprar todos nuestros productos y recibirlos en tu casa Servicio gratuito que te permite gestionar todas tus facturas de forma sencilla Creado por Mercadona para que nuestros proveedores Un modelo de recursos humanos reconocido por ofrecer puestos de trabajo estables y de calidad The organisation is also warning that stagnant floodwaters in Valencia are creating severe health hazards with the risk of infectious disease outbreaks escalating rapidly with its extensive experience responding to international humanitarian crises has been on the ground since the early hours of southern Spain’s emergency assisting flood-stricken communities across Valencia In response to the mounting public health risk the organisation is installing hand-washing points and clearing blocked sewer systems to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases in heavily impacted areas like Catarroja Floodwaters and accumulated mud have created an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents which carry diseases like leptospirosis and other gastrointestinal infections there are reports of gastroenteritis and skin infections among local residents Action Against Hunger’s Water and Sanitation Manager contact with contaminated floodwaters can lead to skin infections and other health complications.” Action Against Hunger is setting up hand-washing stations at food distribution centres and other areas affected by the worst of the flooding The first of these points is located in Paiporta’s command centre followed by stations at sites in Alfafar and Masanasa tanker trucks will supply water for hand-washing essential for preventing infectious diseases Local volunteers will help carry out hygiene awareness campaigns “We’re training volunteers to pass on critical hygiene messages to the public using waterproof boots and and consuming only chlorinated or bottled water Our goal is to reduce the spread of infectious diseases as much as possible during this critical time,” says Alcalde Action Against Hunger is actively working to clear mud and debris from the sewer systems in affected municipalities Suction trucks will be deployed to remove sludge with all extracted waste transported to designated disposal sites For areas where sludge is especially dense water will be added to facilitate extraction and ensure effective drainage “Keeping the sewer systems functioning is essential particularly with the risk of further rains,” adds Alcalde “Our teams are working with local authorities to maximise sewage system capacity and prevent future blockages.” Action Against Hunger is committed to supporting Valencia’s recovery focusing on the immediate needs of sanitation and waste management to protect public health and reduce the spread of disease in the wake of these devastating floods To contact our Media team, please email us at [email protected] or call 0208 293 6130 Sign up to our emails to receive updates from our programmes around the world and learn about how you can help transform lives We’re part of the worldwide Action Against Hunger network. Learn more Registered charity: England and Wales (1047501) Registered address: Action Against Hunger UK Charity web design by Fat Beehive When 18-month-old Munira became sick, her mum Medina did everything she could to get her the treatment she needed. And after visiting one of Action Against Hunger’s malnutrition treatment programmes, their lives changed for the better. Read their story. The National Police arrested 60 people on Wednesday night, including several minors, for thefts in the commercial areas most affected by the storms. According to the police, officers have recovered "a multitude of stolen goods". An increase in the number of arrests is expected, as the Guardia Civil has not yet released its data. On Thursday, a court in Torrent (Valencia) sent to prison four detainees for looting a shopping centre. Among the items that were stolen were bottles of water or food, but also clothes, shoes and hundreds of luxury items. In fact, the images that went viral on social media enabled the police to make the arrests. In one of them, a group of people could be seen opening the shutters of a shop to take whatever they could. The security services have been obliged to withdraw personnel from the work of rescuing the victims to patrol the areas where they are located in order to prevent the thefts from continuing. The main target of these thieves are objects of high economic value that are not very bulky, such as computers, mobile phones or brand-name perfumes, according to officers assigned to prevent them. A head of the Guardia Civil in Valencia, Jesús Díaz, confirmed that "criminals are entering any premises, any house or place from which they can steal something". Díaz said that there is no specific profile of criminals, but organised gangs may be operating in the towns most devastated by the storm. The poice force had foreseen this type of crime from the outset "because this is what tends to happen in these situations, so part of our operational plan is aimed at preventing looting". "There is no specific profile, there may be organised gangs that take advantage of the circumstances or the conventional thief who sees the opportunity and takes advantage of it," he said. Registered office Málaga, Avda. Dr. Marañón, 48. AVBOB celebrates a milestone by rewarding its members on a large scale CATARROJA - More than a week after surging torrents of muddy water ravaged Spain, flooded cemeteries are making dignified burials for victims impossible and compounding the pain of bereaved survivors. "The destruction is enormous," said Salvador Pons, an employee at the municipal cemetery in the devastated town of Catarroja who was directing a group of volunteers helping the clean-up. The water reached 1.70 metres, damaged many of the graves and displaced the cemetery's huge iron gates weighing 700 kilograms. None of the seven Catarroja residents who have died since 29 October has been buried, of whom four were flood victims who must be interred rapidly as their corpses decompose, Pons told AFP. The challenge is repeated across destroyed towns in the eastern Valencia region following Spain's worst floods in a generation that have killed 219 people and left dozens missing. Authorities have handed over more than 80 bodies to bereaved families, but burying them is all but impossible in inundated graveyards that resemble quagmires. "Work has come to a halt... Two, three or four weeks will have to pass for things to be resolved," Arturo Casan, 59, said of his gravestone business. Helpers worked tirelessly to clear up the premises of the family firm, which has fulfilled none of the orders received since the floods. "The houses come first and then the cemeteries," Casan conceded. Carles Pons, rector of Catarroja's Sant Miquel church, told AFP he has officiated no funeral masses for more than a week. "No one has asked us for them -- and in any case it would not be easy" to bury the deceased, said the 57-year-old priest. Funeral services in regional capital Valencia city have been helping the affected towns with cars, staff, paperwork, trips to the hospital and burials, an employee of one such company said on condition of anonymity. "The cemeteries in the towns are in a terrible state and people are forced to give up" burying the victims there, the employee said. A cremation or burial in Valencia city is an option, but it is common in Spain for up to three generations of a family to share a niche in the same cemetery. "My parents have to be buried together," Catarroja resident Juan Monrabal told local newspaper Las Provincias.  Monrabal could lay to rest his mother, who died in the floods, in one cemetery before transferring the body to another holding his father's grave.  But Spanish law forbids such movements before 10 years and Monrabal, 54, fears he will not live to see the day where his parents are reunited. "If there's no choice but to bury them, it will have to be done wherever," said a 69-year-old man helping to clean Catarroja cemetery who refused to give his name. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Missing Izan and Ruben Matias’s grandmother says their parents have been left devastated at their disappearance I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A Spanish research vessel that investigates marine ecosystems has been called to help recover nearly 100 people thought dead after devastating floods as the family of two young brothers still missing reveal their heartbreak The 24 crew members aboard the Ramon Margalef were preparing on Friday to use its sensors and submersible robot to map an offshore area of 14 square miles — the equivalent of more than 5,000 football fields — to see if they can locate vehicles that last week’s catastrophic floods swept into the Mediterranean Sea The hope is that a map of sunken vehicles could lead to the recovery of bodies Nearly 100 people have been officially marked as missing and authorities admit there are likely more people unaccounted for in addition to more than 200 already declared dead Among the missing are five-year-old Izan Matias and his younger brother Ruben, three, who were swept away on 29 October after a year’s worth of rain fell in a matter of hours in Valencia and the wider region At least 219 people have been killed as a result of the floods. Amid the sheer volume of death, the story of the Matias family has drawn significant attention in Spain, with many following updates on “Los niños desaparecidos”, which translates to “the missing children”. ​​The tragic chronology of events that led to the two boys going missing has been pieced together from testimonies of neighbours, relatives, and local media. Father Victor Matias had quickly changed his plans that day, fearing the approaching storm. After leaving work early, he picked up his boys from nursery and was about to make their favourite dinner of croquetas. The boys’ mother, Marta, meanwhile, was starting her late shift at a nearby shop. Their grandmother, Antonia Maria Matias, a 72-year-old cancer patient, told ABC Sevilla she had called her son Mr Matias around 6pm and heard the boys crying as the water rose. As the Matias house flooded, it was sliced open by a lorry carried by the rushing water, sending the boys and their father into the torrent, according to a neighbour and the boys’ aunt. The official red alert to evacuate was sent to their mobile phones hours later when it was too late. Mr Matias had grabbed his sons as the house began to collapse but the water took them. The father was found hours later, clinging to a tree, his boys nowhere in sight. His mother - the boys’ grandmother - revealed Mr Matias had been ready to surrender to the torrent but stopped, telling himself he could not leave his wife alone. All that was left of the house was the door to the boys’ bedroom, their names still visibly etched onto the entrance. It stood amid a jumble of broken metal, crumpled furniture, upturned cars and a sea of mud. Izan and Ruben’s aunt, Barbara Sastre, described them to the BBC as “bichetes” - meaning endearing little bugs who buzzed around - or said they were absorbed in their cartoons. Despite intensive daily searches by neighbours, police, firefighters, and volunteers, the brothers have not been found. Relatives say they can’t describe what Ms Matias, the boys’ mother, is experiencing. She only found out her sons were missing the morning after they had been swept away. The grandmother said her son’s life had “turned to dust”. Mr Matias, recovering in hospital, now sleeps with his sons’ blankets, the closest he can be to them. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Volunteers use poles to search for victims in a paddy field in the Albufera national park near Catarroja, following devastating flooding in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain Spain: Young volunteers have spearheaded a humanitarian campaign for victims of Spain's deadliest floods in decades smashing stereotypes of an apathetic and feeble "snowflake generation" interested in nothing other than themselves they have conducted themselves magnificently," said Noelia Saez a 48-year-old from the devastated town of Catarroja The altruism also overjoyed 62-year-old Teresa Gisbert where dozens of young volunteers rushed to assist as mud covered the streets and her home Their towns are in the eastern Valencia region where almost all the destruction and the more than 200 deaths have been recorded since the floods struck a week ago With the authorities absent from some of the worst-affected areas for days an army of ordinary citizens travelled on foot to provide food water and cleaning equipment to clear the mud Youths have been at the forefront of this wave of solidarity and were at work again in Catarroja on Wednesday It was a far cry from stereotypes caricaturing the generation born in this millennium as self-centred "snowflakes" addicted to endless scrolling on social media "The elderly are always going to say that people who aren't from their generation are worse," said Angela Noblejas a 19-year-old industrial engineering student "But now that they've given us an opportunity that maybe they wouldn't have given us Rise up | EDATV NEWS Juan Roig Allocates 1.5 Million Euros to Reconstruction for DanaThe work will be carried out in squares and parks affected by the DANA in Catarroja and Massanassa.25/02/2025 13:13:00h by Jesus Wollstein Juan Roig Allocates 1.5 Million Euros to the Reconstruction of Squares and Parks Affected by the DANA Mercadona's president promotes the rehabilitation of public spaces in various Valencian localities with his personal assets Businessman Juan Roig has allocated 1.5 million euros from his personal assets for the reconstruction of squares and parks affected by the DANA last October is for "residents to return to normalcy as soon as possible" This initiative is carried out in collaboration with the town councils and adds to the one already completed in Paiporta last January where Mercadona invested around half a million euros in the rehabilitation of Plaza Casota where the work is progressing gradually to return meeting and leisure spaces to the citizens Since the DANA hit the Valencian Community last October 29 Juan Roig has promoted various initiatives to mitigate its effects One of the most notable is the "Alcem-se" program through which he has allocated 35 million euros in direct aid to support 4,600 businesses affected by the catastrophe channeled through Marina de Empresas—the entrepreneurship and innovation hub founded by Roig—has already been disbursed to the self-employed and business owners who requested support With this latest contribution to the reconstruction of public spaces Juan Roig reaffirms his commitment to the Valencian Community consolidating his role as one of the major drivers of economic and social recovery after the DANA The sea of mud and stagnant water submerging Spanish towns more than 10 days after the country's worst floods in decades has sparked a sickening stench and health fears pointing to a destroyed supermarket in the devastated town of Sedavi from which a disgusting odour wafted when AFP visited well after the floods cut the refrigerators' electricity supply a 40-year-old employee of a private cleaning company The nearby town of Catarroja also remains a mud bath after the October 29 disaster that has claimed 220 lives in southeastern Spain with a powerful reek compounding the woes of survivors The diversity of matter decomposing under the mud produces a spectrum of smells ranging from the mildly unpleasant to the outright repulsive "Each decomposition of an element smells differently," which explains why the odours vary from street to street a 51-year-old firefighter from the southern Seville region Dead animals may also lie buried under the mud the organic matter decomposes without oxygen and "that's where those smells we're not used to start to appear," explained Miguel Rodilla a biologist at Valencia's Polytechnic University In scenes reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic volunteers and residents have worn facemasks and gloves during the clean-up while some people have complained of the stink causing headaches and dizziness Breathing in the pestilential miasma "isn't ideal for health" but "higher concentrations" of decomposing matter would be necessary to make it toxic Stagnant water can trigger gastrointestinal disorders or pneumonia Health Minister Monica Garcia told public radio RNE but she ruled out the possibility of an "outbreak" has also reported no outbreak of infectious diseases or a major threat to public health regional health authorities have asked local councils to apply measures to control and prevent the proliferation of mosquitoes and other insects capable of spreading diseases Aldehuela warned that the foetid fumes enveloping Catarroja "will get worse predicting they would linger for up to a week more But in towns where the muck has been cleared swiftly an aroma of bread or fruit has replaced the stench the head of the army's emergencies unit Javier Marcos said on Friday Protests are planned in Valencia and other cities on Saturday as many stricken locals accuse the authorities of underestimating and mishandling its response to the floods please register for free or log in to your account This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Cloudy with more rounds of showers and possibly some downpours or a t-storm is charged with unlawful contact with a minor - A Monroe County man is accused of instructing a 12-year-old girl in Wisconsin to send him sexually explicit photos and videos according to a news release from Pennsylvania State Police Catarroja engaged in explicit sexual communication with the girl including instructing her to provide sexually explicit photos and videos He also tried to have the girl photograph sex acts with other children After being notified about an investigation into Catarroja by authorities in Wisconsin several agencies in Pennsylvania executed a search warrant on Catarroja's home Agents found a significant amount of child pornography files on Catarroja's digital devices He was taken into custody and taken to Monroe County Correctional Facility Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device ALFAFAR: Spanish rescuers opened a temporary morgue in a convention centre and battled to reach areas still cut off on Friday as the death toll from catastrophic floods rose to 205 people in Europe’s worst weather disaster in five decades the eastern region that bore the brunt of the devastation Three have died in Castilla La Mancha and Andalusia The number of dead is now almost level with the 209 who died during heavy floods in Romania in 1970 Floods in Portugal in 1967 killed nearly 500 people Some 500 soldiers were deployed to search for people who are still missing and help survivors of the storm which triggered a fresh weather alert in Huelva in southwestern Spain with dozens of people still not accounted for minister in charge of cooperation with Spain’s regions With about 75,000 homes still without electricity firefighters were siphoning petrol from cars that had been abandoned in the floods to power generators to get domestic supplies back on “We’re going from car to car looking for any petrol we can find,“ said one firefighter who had travelled to Valencia from the southern region of Andalusia to assist rescue efforts carrying a plastic tube and empty bottles to collect the petrol from the cars’ tanks A year of rain fell in just eight hours on Tuesday night railtracks and bridges as rivers burst their banks Tel: +603-7784 6688      Fax: +603-7785 2625 East Stroudsburg High School-North announces honor roll for second marking period 2019-2020