Rain hits Valencia - 11th November 2024

Heavy rain and floods have hit Valencia, Spain. It happened when the region received one year's rainfall in 24 hours.

The Spanish Meteorological Agency, AEMET, said it happened because of local weather systems. Cold air meets hotter air and rain clouds are quickly created. It's called a 'cold drop', something which east and south Spain are used to. It's due to the country's position between the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and also the mountains by the coast.

The terrible floods have killed more than 200 people. Many people are missing, so the authorities are still looking. Others are starting the huge clean up.

The town of Paiporta was badly hit. In the flood, Vanesa Cruanyes saw workers stuck in a shop opposite her home. They finally escaped through the window.

Vanesa Cruanyes: "In this shop all the workers were trapped inside when the lights went. They'd pulled down the shutters and they were all trapped inside, until the glass broke in this window from the force of the water and they were able to get out to some cars that were here. They got into the cars. They managed to get a little girl and another woman up to the first floor with sheets."

Student Sofia Sánchez and other locals are afraid of people stealing. They've created a group to protect their local shops.

Sofia Sanchez: "We came down at two o'clock in the morning or so, because we saw that they were looting the tobacconist's there, and we said, well, they're going into the jewellery shop, they're going to enter the Chinese shop, they're going to enter every store. And we've been taking turns."

Heavy rain's already hitting Andalucia and other parts. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised to help. Meanwhile, there are three days of mourning, to remember the dead.