Outpouring of unity in Spain as anger grows over slow response to floods

Amidst the shock and trauma in Valencia, the outpouring of solidarity is growing by the day.

At a museum building in the city centre, vast numbers of volunteers were queuing up to receive supplies – buckets, mops, food and water - before boarding buses to the areas worst hit by the catastrophic floods which overwhelmed the region earlier this week, killing more than 200 people with many still missing.

The organisers believe 15,000 people showed up this morning alone for the first coordinated clean-up, filling what many feel is a vacuum left by the authorities.

Sixteen-year-old Pedro Francisco had been waiting in line with his parents for four hours, desperate to help.

He says his friend’s grandfather died in the floods but so far she has been unable to retrieve the body.

“We have to do whatever we can”, Pedro says. “It’s just terrible to see what has happened.”

Also queuing was Oscar Martinez and his wife and son.

“I feel anger”, he says. “This was an avoidable tragedy. All the regional government needed to do was to give us the flood warnings in advance.”

Anger is a reoccurring theme in Valencia and the surrounding area where most of the 211 fatalities took place - with the toll expected to rise further.

Heavy rains began on Monday causing massive flooding in the region, destroying bridges, cutting off communities and leaving them without water, food or electricity.

Thousands of security and emergency services are frantically clearing debris and mud in the search for the dead, taken by what the Spanish government call the second deadliest flood in Europe.