SPAIN: Flooding Kills 200 People & more – 7th Nov 2024

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 7th of November twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

This week we start a little differently, with a series of stories relating to the incredibly brutal storm that has hit the east coast of Spain.

Between Thursday the 31st of October and Friday the 1st of November, a storm hit the region of Valencia, leaving over 200 dead and causing widespread devastation.

The Huerta Sur region, just south of Valencia, saw the highest fatalities, with heavy rains dumping over a year's worth of rain in just eight hours. Overflowing rivers, especially the Poyo ravine, destroyed nearby areas, including the municipality of Paiporta, where six elderly residents died in a flooded care home.

Infrastructure damage is extensive, with collapsed bridges, flooded train tunnels, and damaged roads, costing hundreds of millions of euros.

Initially, the death count rose quickly as bodies were easily found, but searches have since slowed down so authorities believe that some victims might be submerged or buried in mud.

Rescue teams are identifying victims and coordinating across agencies, though the exact number of missing remains unclear. Thousands have called to report missing loved ones, adding to the uncertainty, with duplicate reports complicating the count.

Underground parking facilities, which are common in Spain, pose a major challenge for tracking casualties as many are flooded.

Amidst the flaring emotions caused by the floods, residents of the municipality of Paiporta are extremely frustrated with Spain's leaders.

On Sunday the 3rd, King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and President Pedro Sánchez faced hostile crowds, who threw mud and various objects, accusing them of neglect.

With over 2,000 still reported missing, locals were frustrated with the delayed response to the emergency. The royal visit was ultimately cut short, and a scheduled visit to neighboring Chiva was canceled.

Sánchez announced the deployment of 10,000 troops and police officers, Spain’s largest peacetime mobilization, to assist with post-flood efforts.

Speaking of outrage, while the residents of Paiporta protested against Spain’s leaders, calls for Carlos Mazón, the Valencian President, to retire, intensified.

Political critics and residents of Valencia argue that the tragedy could have been mitigated if alerts had been issued sooner.

Despite warnings from the Spanish state meteorological agency days before, Mazón reportedly delayed action, leaving residents uninformed until hours before the flooding.

While the government of Valencia faced criticism, many people have come together this week to help clean up the streets and aid people whose homes, businesses, and lives have been severely affected by the fossil fuel disaster. In a BBC interview, volunteers shared that they are stepping in to assist in areas where the regional government has fallen short.

Want to see some of the great community work? Link in the show notes.

If the Storm in Valencia wasn’t enough bad news for one week, on Monday the 4th, heavy rain struck Catalunya, bringing heavy disruptions across Barcelona’s coastal areas.

Starting at midnight, a storm front moved north from Tarragona, located in the northeast, hitting Baix Llobregat and surrounding regions with flooding and transportation issues.

By the early morning, State transport network Renfe had suspended train services across the region. Airport operations at Barcelona El Prat were also disrupted with many flights diverted and canceled.

The local government issued alerts and regional text message services urging essential travel only.

In other news, Spain’s Interior Ministry is in the process of canceling a 6.5 million euro ammunition contract with Israeli company Guardian Homeland Security after a media report revealed the deal.

Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Head of the Interior Ministry, announced Spain will exclude Israeli arms firms from future contracts while the terrible situation in Gaza continues. The decision follows pressure from coalition partners like Podemos and Sumar, who have urged the executive to cut defense and trade ties with Israel, criticizing its response in Gaza.

Pilar Alegría, a government spokeswoman, confirmed the commitment to cease arms transactions with Israel, a policy aligned with recent diplomatic tensions after Spain’s recognition of Palestinian statehood in May.

Next, on Tuesday the 29th of October, the U.S.-based START Center for Cancer Research teamed up with Fundación Rioja Salud to launch an early-phase cancer clinical trial unit in La Rioja, in the north of Spain.

The new clinic is located at San Pedro University Hospital in Logroño, the capital of the region and aims to make advanced cancer trials more accessible for patients across northern Spain, potentially reaching over eight million people in regions like Aragón, País Vasco and Cantabria.

Heading down to the strait of Gibraltar now, where on Friday the 1st of November, a collision occurred between the carrier boat Louisa Bolten and the chemical tanker Southern Puma.

The impact breached one of Southern Puma's cargo tanks, spilling liquid paraffin, a combustible hydrocarbon liquid more commonly known for its use in making candles. The paraffin solidified into white wax balls and eventually washed up along the coast near the city of Algeciras, in the south.

Verdemar, a Spanish environmental group, called for close monitoring of the spill in case of further complications. However, officials said they expect minimal environmental impact.

Turning to film, the upcoming release of Anatema, directed by Jimina Sabadú, marks another milestone in Spain’s thriving antiterror genre, which is a blend of fantasy and horror. Anatema premiered at the Tokyo Latin Beat Film Festival on Saturday the 2nd of November and will hit Spanish theaters on Friday the 8th.

Spanish horror continues to gain international recognition, even if domestic box office numbers remain modest. As recent films like Apocalipsis Z directed by Carles Torrens and El Llanto by Pedro Martín Calero, help Spain gain more recognition in the genre.

Keeping with the music theme, we decided to dive into what’s trending most across the Peninsula.

According to last week’s Spotify Spanish music trends, reggaeton was the most popular genre, followed closely by pop and hip-hop in second and third place.

Spotify data from Wednesday the 30th of October to Tuesday the 5th of November revealed that Bad Bunny was the most-streamed artist, with Rauw Alejandro and Quevedo coming in at second and third. The week’s top track was Quevedo: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52 by Bizarrap and Quevedo, while other popular hits included Tití Me Preguntó by Bad Bunny and La Bachata by Manuel Turizo.

And finally a touch of local everyday culture, and a cornerstone of Spanish commerce.

In Spain, independent shops like ferreterías, bazaars, and tabacs thrive largely due to strict regulations and a cultural emphasis on small businesses over large retail chains.

Unlike many other countries where branded stores dominate, Spanish law has tried to protect these smaller, specialized shops, limiting the expansion of major retail corporations in urban areas.

Ferreterías, or hardware stores, are family-owned and rooted in local neighborhoods, making them beautiful oddities with personalized service. Bazars are handy, affordable shops often run by first or second-generation immigrants. These stores are perfect for picking up a little bit of everything; household items, gadgets, snacks, and filling in the gaps that bigger stores might miss. Tabacs, licensed by the government to sell tobacco, stamps, and lottery tickets, preserve Spain’s unique retail identity. Together, these stores uphold a cultural preference for independent, community-oriented shopping experiences.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

Are you a long-time listener or a long time hanger-arounder in Spain? Want to participate in the show? Well, this is your chance! We're looking for listener anecdotes or tips about living in Spain, to share with the community of listeners. Restaurant recommendations, tours you have enjoyed? Cultural activities? Anything you would want to share we’ll be happy to hear! Let’s chat! Email us at info@rorshok.com with a relevant subject line.

¡Hasta la próxima!