Spain’s Apocalyptic Floods Expose the Spread of Extreme Weather Denial
The era of ‘Unnatural Disasters’ is the price of ignoring climate science
It was a typical Tuesday evening for Francisco De Orta, an Argentinian friend of mine who works as a barber in Valencia. Little did Francisco know that a single missed appointment would be the difference between life and death. Because, as he headed back home earlier than usual, the streets of La Torre, Valencia, were just beginning their terrifying transformation into raging rivers.
It wasn’t until later, as he watched news of cars floating like driftwood in nearby towns that he realized he was directly in the water’s path. “That water is coming this way,” he thought, frantically rushing to his balcony only to see the murky tide already creeping towards his doorstep.
No warnings. No alerts. No sirens.
Only an hour later, at 8:12 p.m. did his phone blare with an SMS alarm commanding residents “to avoid any kind of relocation” in Valencia. But by then, an area home to hundreds of thousands of people was already facing life-threatening conditions from neighborhoods surrendering to the voracious floods.
Francisco was lucky — the missed appointment had given him enough time to make it home safely and prepare…
