It’s almost impossible to describe what we have experienced in the flooded villages and towns around the city of Valencia. Many of those villages and towns are in ruins, with at least 217 dead and others to be pulled out of the mud. There are many areas that still need urgent help. There are towns without water or electricity that have not been able to clean up. There are still flooded garages, buildings on the verge of collapse, and health problems that may result from the accumulated water.

But what also defies belief is the regional Valencian government’s sheer negligence in its pre- and post-disaster management. Let me try to summarise some of the most serious shortcomings.

In September 2023, members of Compromís, a leftwing alliance in the Valencian regional parliament, presented a proposal tackling “the increasing risks of flooding in the Mediterranean”. The government voted against it.

Just last month, we raised the issue three further times, even presenting an urgent proposal that was to be debated in November. All we were asking for was the scientific studies on these growing risks to be taken seriously, and more and better coordination of forces to deal with the risks. We didn’t ask for much because we knew that in Valencia’s rightwing government, led by the People’s party, there were people with a terrible record on believing in the climate crisis and taking it seriously.