‘I’ve never seen this in my life,’ Honduran woman recounts DANA’s devastation in Valencia

Storm DANA has left a deep mark on Valencia, Spain, and thousands of people are trying to rebuild what was lost. Evelyn Ávila , a Honduran resident in the European country, witnessed the devastating effects of this storm and shared a moving account of the catastrophe.

The Honduran woman said she visited the towns of Catarroja, Paiporta, Alfafar, Benetússer and Sedaví, in the Valencian Community.

Ávila describes the experience as a situation that reveals human vulnerability to the ravages of nature.

“ Life knows how to make you feel fragile and vulnerable in situations like this. Yesterday I witnessed all the damage that the storm caused. I could see total destruction wherever it passed. I had never seen this before in my life , which shocked me greatly,” she said.

Destruction and loss in the streets of Valencia

The Honduran woman explained that the storm not only destroyed homes, vehicles and bridges, but also shattered the sense of security in the community.

As he walked through the affected areas, he saw streets covered in mud and debris, with wrecked vehicles and scattered metal structures, as well as the bodies of victims that are still being recovered.

“It took us more than two hours to walk because the affected areas are not close to the centre of Valencia . Despite being tired, we arrived with food and water to support the affected people, giving them encouragement and some food,” said Ávila .

The spirit of solidarity and support

Despite the bleak outlook, Ávila highlighted the spirit of solidarity that has emerged among Spanish communities and those from other countries. “Thousands of people have travelled to the affected areas, helping to clean houses, bringing water and food, and most importantly, offering words of encouragement to those in need,” he said.

Ávila acknowledged that the reconstruction process will be long and that the recovery of these communities will take weeks or even months.

However, he expressed his commitment and that of other volunteers to continue offering their support in this critical stage: “This is not over yet; we will continue supporting people because rebuilding these villages does not take days,” he said.

Deaths due to DANA

The Spanish government on Saturday raised the death toll from the storm that has hit the east and south of the country since Tuesday to 211, while the desperate search for missing people continues with more military personnel and thousands of volunteers mobilized to help by bringing water and food to the victims.

Most of the victims were in Valencia (north), where the storm caused major flooding. The remaining dead are two in Castile and Leon and one in Andalusia.