‘No one knew it was going to be that bad’

Bawnboy native Leigha Plunkett (22) has been living in Valencia for just over a year. With recent catastropic flooding in the city she has grown to love, the English Language Assistant has been “above your ankles” in mud helping the local community.

Speaking from her home just outside the city in Patraix on Monday afternoon, Leigha described the sense of anger, fear and devastation left in the wake of floods that have killed over 200 people, with rescuers searching for survivors.

While the country's Prime Minister has ordered 10,000 more troops and police to the city, Leigha outlined how it seems to be volunteers who are doing the brunt of the work in a community left without electricity, water and food.

“All the help that’s coming is from the residents of Spain and people who live in the city or in different cities,” she outlined.

“Everyone’s so angry because they’ve been given absolutely no help, people were trapped in their homes for 48 hours and no one came to save them.”

Leigha believes “the only reason” people have food and water now is down to donations from “the people of Spain” who are collecting food, giving out water and providing help.

“The only help they’re getting is from the people and not the government,” she claimed, adding that yesterday [Sunday] was the first day there was a visible army presence in the city.

“Even at that, it wasn't strong enough.”

“They were completely trapped and neglected and let down by the people who were meant to help them.”

Once a vibrant, multicultural hub of people meeting at cafes and going about their day, Leigha describes a very different reality for the community now.

In “badly hit” areas “thick mud” dominates the streets with salvaged furniture from homes, dead animals, broken glass and cars “piled on top of each other".

“There’s just people, literally looking for their loved ones in those cars.”

“It’s a complete mess, nowhere is safe,” she described, adding how there is no clear route to walk into the city anymore.

“Just imagine - thousands of people have just lost their homes, they’re trying to clear out their homes and there’s water damage everywhere.”

Anger

Leigha reported “a lot of anger” among people living in affected areas due to “lack of warning” of the storm’s arrival, which saw a year's worth of rain fall in a day.

Last Monday night, Leigha received a message saying the I.E.S. Eduardo Primo Marqués school where she works would be closed the following day due to “a weather warning".

“In Valencia city honestly it was just a little bit of rain, you wouldn't even notice, it rained heavily that night but not much that we thought that this would happen.”

Expecting to return to school on Wednesday, Tuesday evening’s weather told a different story.

“All of a sudden there were just videos being sent all around people in Valencia of these flash floods, people being swept down the street.

'Stay indoors'

It was “only” at around 8pm or 9pm on Tuesday evening that people “got an alert on their phone” which read 'stay indoors'.

“Everyone was already out on the streets, I mean we were given the warning that the weather was going to be bad but no one knew it was going to be that bad.”

“The warning was way too late. At that stage people were already trapped in their cars.

“A lot of the anger is coming from that, that they were given absolutely no warning and they weren’t told to stay inside or evacuate or anything so people were just on the streets not knowing what was going to happen.”

Thanks

While much anger and frustration remains, the local community are keen to share their thanks with volunteers. Helping out since Saturday, Leigha said people have been stopping her in the streets to show their appreciation. Recently, someone told her: “Thank you so much for coming because, if you weren't here, we would literally be dead.”

“They want people to know that,” she added.

The phrase being chanted around Valencia is “only the people are helping the people” with protests on Monday night demonstrating anger at the “lack of help".

With no transport, 15,000 to 20,000 volunteers showed up by foot to help the community.

“There’s no real organisation from the government or anything, it's all just among the people.”

On her first day, Leigha was working in a sitting room which had been “completely submerged” in water. She spent the day “above your ankles in mud” drawing buckets of thick clay out of the house and into the street, with the aim of enabling people to “walk in their own house".

Alongside others, she was also sweeping water on the streets into drains which are “overflowing". “It feels like it’s never ending, there’s just water flowing from every part.

“What’s happening here is like nothing I have ever seen before, it’s absolutely horrific and devastating.”

“It’s apocalyptic, a complete nightmare.”

Currently embarking on a master’s degree concerning human rights, Leigha dreams of pursuing a career in activism and helping people.

“It feels good to actually be able to do something.

“I love it out here, I Iove the city, the people are so lovely so it's obviously so hard to see their homes completely ruined.”