Floods in Spain: Flood Relief for Valencia

A DANA is a pocket of cold air high in the sky. It can stay over one place and drop a huge amount of rain. On October 29, 2024, the town of Turís got 771 liters of rain per square meter in one day. Dry stream beds turned into rivers, and water rushed through 75 towns. 229 people died, and three are still missing. Another 2,641 people were hurt, and about 300,000 people were affected. Crews had to remove about 130,000 wrecked cars from the streets. Direct damage reached €17.8 billion. The pain did not end when the water went down. Many families lost their home, their car, and their income all at once. Experts believe more than 80,000 people in the worst-hit area could develop post-traumatic stress. People across Spain gave a lot. The Spanish Red Cross raised €115 million and helped more than 143,000 people in the first year. The Amancio Ortega Foundation gave €100 million to local town councils, and Juan Roig and Hortensia Herrero gave €70 million. The government approved nearly €2 billion in direct aid. Even so, a year later the Red Cross had used only about half of its funds, because rebuilding takes years. In October 2026, Storm Adam brought heavy rain back to the Valencia region. Four people died, more than 2,000 people had to leave their homes, and rescue teams carried out more than 400 rescues.