At the same time, cost reduction is emerging as another potential factor.
Carlos Mazón, president of the conservative Valencia region, was forced to defend his decision to eliminate the Valencian Emergency Unit (UVE), calling it ineffective.
UVE was created by the previous left-wing government to respond to weather-related emergencies such as floods and bushfires. Upon taking office last year, Mr. Mazón immediately removed the agency from the People’s Party (PP), describing it as a “shady outfit.”
The trade union Intersindical condemned the decision in a statement, saying it “contributes to environmental destruction and worsens the impact of extreme weather events by prioritizing short-term profits.”
Catalan nationalist politician Gabriel Rufián also criticized the removal of UVE, saying Mazón was “proud” of disbanding it.
The Valencian regional government responded that UVE was “just another fictitious organization with no firefighters, no materials, and no efficiency.”
But others pointed this out when the Valencian leader appeared in the press on Tuesday, saying the intensity of heavy rains was expected to decrease from around 18pm local time.
Instead, it began wreaking havoc on large parts of the region.
Politicians in some affected cities have been particularly vocal. Andreu Salom, mayor of L’Alcúldia, said he felt “abandonment and absolute impotence.”
“As mayor, no one informed me of the risk that the Magre River could breach its banks,” he said. “It filled the village with water, mud and debris.”
Mr Mazón said emergency services had been on alert since Monday and insisted that the special nature of the weather phenomenon made it difficult to know exactly what to advise Valencians.
He spoke of an entirely unprecedented situation, citing “the sudden nature of meteorology,” he said.
Meanwhile, activists have called for faster and stronger action to stop the climate change that caused the floods.
“The climate emergency is not an abstract concept, but a reality that affects our lives and, in this case, takes lives,” said Eva Saldaña, executive director of Greenpeace Spain.
Jorge Olcina, a climate scientist at the University of Alicante and co-author of a recent report on climate change in Spain, told Cadena Ser radio that the recent floods are “the Mediterranean’s proof of climate change.” “It’s raining.”
He also said the warnings issued by the National Meteorological Administration should have been enough to keep people indoors and away from danger, but “people want to live their normal lives even if there is a red alert.”
