Spain's catastrophic floods: At least 219 dead and billions in damage

MADRID -- The catastrophic torrential rains that overflowed rivers and usually barren canals successful eastbound Spain past week triggered flash floods that submerged full communities and killed scores of people.

The deluge near down a landscape of devastation, particularly successful Valencia, nan hardest-hit region. The hunt for nan dormant and missing continues, much than a week since nan Oct. 29 floods deed — arsenic good arsenic a gargantuan cleanup and betterment effort.

Here’s a look astatine Spain’s deadliest earthy disaster of nan century, by nan numbers:

The historical floods caused 219 deaths, 211 of them successful nan Valencia region alone. Another 7 group died successful neighboring Castilla La Mancha and 1 much successful confederate Andalusia.

Ninety-three group person been officially declared missing, but authorities admit that nan existent number could beryllium higher. Another 54 bodies stay unidentified. In total, 36,605 group person been rescued, according to authorities.

The afloat grade of nan harm is unknown, but Spain’s Consortium for Insurance Compensation, a public-private entity that pays security claims for utmost risks for illustration floods, estimates that it will walk astatine slightest 3.5 cardinal euros ($3.8 billion) successful compensation.

The consortium has received 116,000 security claims for flood damage, pinch 60% of nan claims for cars and 31% for homes. Spain’s Association of Insurance Companies anticipates nan flooding will break a historical grounds for payouts.

The Transport Ministry has truthful acold repaired 232 kilometers (144 miles) of roadworthy and obstruction tracks but nan highspeed train statement betwixt Valencia and Madrid is still demolished.

The cardinal authorities has approved a 10.6 billion-euro ($11.6-billion) alleviation package for families, business and townhalls. The Valencia location authorities is asking Madrid for 31 cardinal euros ($33 billion) successful assistance arsenic well.

The drought that has deed nan state for nan past 2 years and grounds basking temperatures helped magnify nan floods, scientists say.

Spain's meteorological agency says that 30.4 inches fell successful 1 hr successful nan Valencian municipality of Turis, an all-time nationalist grounds for rainfall group connected Oct. 29. The devastated village of Chiva besides received much rainfall successful 8 hours than nan municipality had knowledgeable successful nan preceding 20 months.

The storms honed successful connected nan Magro and Turia Rivers and nan Poyo canal, turning them into swift currents that swept distant everything successful their path. To nan quality eye, it looked arsenic if a tsunami-like activity of h2o and mud trim a swath done nan confederate outskirts of nan metropolis of Valencia.

The European Space Agency said that, according to outer images captured connected Oct. 31, h2o covered an area of 15,633 hectares (38,600 acres). About 190,000 group were straight affected, nan agency said.

In all, 78 municipalities had astatine slightest 1 resident vanish successful nan floods.

The emergency cognition mobilized by cardinal authorities has grown to much than 17,000 troops and constabulary officers.

The cognition includes 8,000 soldiers — 2,100 of them belonging to subject emergency units specialized successful disaster consequence — on pinch 9,200 further constabulary officers from different parts of Spain.

Thousands of mean citizens volunteered, pinch nary definite estimate arsenic to precisely really many, person helped from time 1 pinch nan cleanup effort.

The authorities said that successful nan first week aft nan floods, authorities restored energy to 147,000 homes and distributed immoderate 178,000 bottles of h2o to places that were still without drinking water.

Spanish authorities person yet to opportunity really galore calls astir missing group they received, springiness an estimate of nan spot damage, aliases merchandise a calculation of really overmuch onshore was devastated.

And astatine this point, nary 1 tin conjecture erstwhile nan betterment effort will beryllium concluded.

___ Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson successful Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report.