In the Valencia region, solidarity is being structured to try to meet the needs of affected residents after historic floods. This Friday, November 1, a public holiday for All Saints’ Day, many Valencians went to the affected towns to help clear the streets and houses, while the food bank gets organized.
4 mins
With our special correspondent in Valencia, Pauline Gleize
Donations of food and hygiene products are spread over tens of meters at the collection point of the Valencia Food Bank.
A donor, Carmen, lifts the flap of her cart and reveals canned beans and mushrooms, fruit juice, quickly given to two young volunteers. Their role: “ Sort them by category: for example, milk, water, canned goods… We line up to avoid theft. In the beginning, people came here and dropped off whatever they wanted. But now it’s much more organized, because there have been thefts. »
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Dedicate time to helping disaster victims: it was obvious for this volunteer: “ I really like my city. That this is happening, that people are doing so badly and that they have received so little help, it hurts me. »
The outpouring of solidarity from the young volunteers amazes Jaime Serra. The president of the Valence Food Bank also welcomes the tons of donations that have been made: “ They leave directly in Civil Protection, police and fire vehicles. Every day, 15 to 20 trucks leave here. What is not shipped will be stored in the food bank’s warehouses. And we will distribute it according to need. I think that with what we have and what will happen, we will be able to meet the needs of these families in November and December. »
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Valencia is expected to receive more than 1,000 pallets from all over Spain in the coming weeks.
Help clear
Elsewhere in the city, the general cemetery area is very busy, and not necessarily because of the All Saints’ Day celebration. Volunteers pass through there to go to particularly affected towns.
Pickaxes, shovels and brooms as walking sticks, Andres’ group of friends come back: “ We went to help a family. The ground floor was completely flooded with the car inside. We helped them wash it completely. »
Proof of this outpouring of solidarity, the mud-stained Valencians form a procession. However, access is not signposted. “ People give each other information. Many Instagram accounts also indicate where to go »specifies Andres.
HASAt the end of this journey, Bruno Asensio takes stock: “ There are quite a few people. Above all, the army needs to bring equipment to be able to remove all the piled up cars and mud. »
Faced with the influx, the authorities took measures to restrict travel. An instruction that Ava does not adhere to: “ I completely agree with not having to drive around because it takes a long time for the fire department and ambulances to arrive. But if we can go and help on foot, then I think we should continue to do so. »
Other testimonies highlight that the overcrowding of places sometimes limits the effectiveness of operations.
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