The water came like a fury, sweeping away homes, roads and lives. In just a few hours, the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain fell on the Valencia region. It was the worst weather disaster in Spain’s recent history: hundreds of deaths, entire neighbourhoods submerged, colossal economic damage. But even more than the deluge, unpreparedness struck. The weather warning was known, but the response came late, fragmented, chaotic. And now that the mud has settled, the anger of those who accuse politics of cutting the very funds intended for land defence remains.
The regional administration led by Carlos Maz\u00f3n, a popular ally with the far right, had in recent years reduced investment in climate adaptation programmes and maintenance of hydraulic infrastructure. Resources earmarked for rolling basins, drainage networks, and emergency plans were sacrificed in the name of other budgetary priorities. It is a political choice linked to an underestimation of the climate crisis that now weighs like a boulder: whilst scientists sounded increasingly accurate warnings about the increased frequency of DANAs\u2014the isolated depressions at high altitudes that generate torrential rains\u2014the public machine remained slow and deaf.
The tragedy has also engulfed politics. Regional President Maz\u00f3n, caught between citizens’ protests and accusations of negligence, announced his resignation, admitting “errors of judgement” in the management of the emergency. In the square, demonstrations multiplied with very harsh slogans: “Mud on our hands, blood on his,” shouted the affected citizens, recalling that warnings had arrived hours before the emergency message sent to people’s phones.
Images of flooded Valencia neighbourhoods have shaken the whole of Europe. The Commission has promised more than a billion euros for reconstruction, but the debate now goes beyond accounting. The Guardian editorial leaves no room for turns of phrase: “Spain’s apocalyptic floods show two undeniable truths: the climate crisis is getting worse and those who continue to ignore it bear the responsibility.”
The affair is a reminder to all. Climate defence is not a luxury to be cut from budgets; it is a national security investment. The heat waves, fires and torrential rains ravaging the Mediterranean are no longer exceptions; they are the new normal. And if an advanced European region like Valencia can be hit so hard, no territory can feel sheltered.
Italy knows the script well. From the floods in Emilia-Romagna to the landslides in Sicily, recent tragedies have shown how fragile the fabric of prevention is. In Valencia, as with us, people believed they could save money on maintenance, monitoring and adaptation plans. But when climate changes faster than budgets, today’s cuts become tomorrow’s disasters.
Now Spain will have to rebuild not only bridges and roads, but the trust of citizens in institutions. And Europe will have to understand that climate defence is a priority item, not an ancillary chapter. Because, as the case of Valencia reminds us, every euro saved on prevention corresponds to lives and territories lost. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After floods devastated the region, controversy erupts over funds cut to prevention. President Maz\u00f3n forced to resign <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAowscnaCw:productID":"","_app_feed_target":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1597],"tags":[1716,1866,1867],"class_list":["post-11700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-crisis","tag-climate-crisis","tag-spain","tag-valencia"],"yoast_head":"\n