In the Valencia region, a month after the devastating floods, cleaning work is still underway. A large number of ground floors were completely flooded. Most of the irrecoverable furniture and equipment had to be thrown away and the flooded area is vast. So, what happens to this rubble?
2 mins
With our special correspondent in Valencia, Pauline Gleize
Jordin Soto, a volunteer, dumps the trash into a dumpster. “ There, we work on the first basement, the rubble is put in a corner and I take it out with the machine “, he says.
If the streets are no longer blocked by the rubble displaced by the flood or taken out of the houses by the inhabitants, the recycling bins are visible here and there.
It is up to Emtre, the metropolitan waste treatment body, to manage what its president Emilio José Belencoso describes as the most important waste management system in recent Spanish history. “ So far, we have collected more than 85 000 tonnes, this represents more than 8 000 heavy goods vehicles “, he explains.
Waste as far as the eye can see
Mountains of trash rise as far as the eye can see, the equivalent of 25 football fields. “ We use three crushers, without that we wouldn’t have enough space », continues Emilio José Belencoso. “ First, we separate the mattresses, or even the household appliances. We avoid grinding it because they contain liquids and polluting components. But obviously, some of it falls through the cracks because it’s impossible. The priority is to dispose of all municipal waste [sinistrées] “, he insists.
Some of the waste is left aside. They will be examined later to see if anything can be done with them. The organization hired around 20 additional workers and installed work lights to allow trucks to enter and exit 24 hours a day.
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Volunteers from abroad
A month after the floods which left at least 230 dead in the south of Spain and enormous material damage, life is struggling to return to normal. Distribution points for food, clothing and sometimes some basic household equipment are being organized. Many volunteers came to help, including from abroad.
Valérie Rochette came from the south of France to help the population of Paiporta for a week. “ I got in my car, picked up a volunteer and we came here to help in the atrium. We receive merchandise from places that come from everywhere. We also distribute to volunteers who also empty garages full of mud, we distribute to the population… », Indicates the French volunteer.
It’s lunar. It’s incredible, we didn’t expect that. It feels like the aftermath of the apocalypse. Really. Afterwards there is great solidarity, but it is true that it must be very complicated for people here: breathing dust all day, there is mud everywhere, there are no more cars. .. There is actually no life yet.
Valérie Rochette, French volunteer
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