State funeral, day of mourning, and asking for 'dignity' one year after fatal DANA storm in Valencia

One year after the DANA storm caused fatal floods in the Spanish region of Valencia, residents are mourning the 229 victims.

A year after the floods, Valencia held a state funeral attended by Spain's monarchs, Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez, members of the government, and Valencian regional authorities, such as President Carlos Mazón of the conservative People's Party.

Many victims' associations had requested that Mazón not be present at the event held at the Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciències complex.

The secular ceremony started at 6 pm with chants from family members in attendance against Mazón while holding photos of their relatives. The chants heard over the broadcast included 'murderer' and 'coward,' among many others.

The event honored the 237 victims of the DANA, the 229 in Valencia, but also others across Spain and because of the flooding aftermath, seven in Castilla-La Mancha, and one in Andalusia. After a short speech by Valencian journalist Lara Siscar, she read the names of the victims, one by one.

The one-hour-long event included musical pieces and a minute of silence. Before that, three relatives of the storm spoke and remembered their loved ones.

"Today marks one year since our lives changed, and we still feel the emptiness of those days," Andrea Ferrari Canut, daughter of Eva Maria Canut Montoro, who died on October 29, 2024. That day, "water took everything away, DANA changed everything," she added.

Ferrari took the chance to thank the volunteers and emergency services who helped during the aftermath of the flooding. "Thanks to their germanor (a word in Catalan that translates to brotherhood), Valencia was able to stand up from the mud," she said before adding that "as long as there is memory, we will not forget them."

"What is now essential is that the truth, respect, and humanity prevail," she said to conclude her speech.

After Ferrari, Naiara Chuliá Beitia remembered her husband, who died returning from work. "My sons lost their father, they cannot also lose their mother," she said when talking about Slim Regaieg.

The last speech was the most political, given by Virginia Ortiz, the cousin of Juan Alejandro, who died in Letur.

For her, the cause of death of many was not because of a natural disaster but from "those who neglect their duties, even though they know that their actions could translate into the loss of human lives."

At that moment, many in attendance applauded her words.

During Spain's King Felipe VI's speech, attendees remained silent, as opposed to what had happened when Mazón arrived on site.

He said, "What happened that day and night awakens terrible memories."

"Let's remember the victims of that tragedy. Each story is now part of our memories, and we must all preserve them," he said.

At the same time, outside of the venue, around 200 people demonstrated against Mazón and his cabinet.

Protesters were not able to access the site as there was a large police surveillance. Once it was dark, they lit candles to honor the victims.

"I think it is shameful that they had not faced their consequences," Andrea, one of the residents in Valencia, told to the team of journalists onsite of the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

Day of mourning

During the day, dozens of Valencian public sector workers gathered to hold a five-minute silence outside the Ciutat Administrativa regional headquarters.

Hundreds of other Valencians remembered their loved ones by placing emergency blankets on the ground at Mare de Déu Square, just in front of the regional government's headquarters.

After showing their respects, several people called for the Valencian regional president, Carlos Mazón, to resign.

After the event, many of the crowd walked to the El Ventorro restaurant, where Mazón had lunch on October 29, 2024 while the DANA storm was already impacting the area.

The demonstrators' goal was to remember all victims of "criminal negligence."

Meanwhile, Mazón marked October 29 as a regional official day of mourning.

"October 29 will never be forgotten; that day and the following ones will always be part of our collective memory," he said during his institutional speech marking the first anniversary of the fatal storm.

"There were things that should have worked better," he said, before adding that authorities "tried to do their best in unthinkable circumstances, but in many cases it was not enough. We have to acknowledge that."

The regional president said that in 2024, the territory "went through one of the most devastating catastrophes in Valencian history."

During his speech, he made no mention of the disputed emergency response. A judge is currently investigating the events of that day.

"I just ask for dignity"

Pepe Santamaria was living in a caravan parked in the middle of a vacant lot in Parc Alcosa when the floods struck. It was all he had, and he lost absolutely everything.

Since then, he has been staying at a friend's house. "I haven’t received any aid," he says.

"I just ask for dignity. Everyone has the right to a home. I don't ask for more than being able to go home, wash up, and eat."

With around 8,000 residents, Parc Alcosa is a working-class neighborhood in Alfafar, just south of the city of Valencia. 

A year after the floods, much work remains: ground-floor apartments awaiting repairs, mud inside homes – posing health risks – elevators out of service, and more.

"This could be fixed. We've done a study, and it would cost €3.5 million," explains Toni Valero, spokesperson for the community groups of Parc Alcosa. 

"It's not that it can't be done, it's that it isn't even being considered," laments Valero.

Protests 

Around 50,000 people took to the streets of Valencia on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the devastating floods that took the lives of 229 people.

Demonstrators also demanded the resignation of President Carlos Mazón, something which hundreds of thousands of people marched for last year in the wake of the disaster.

Four days out from the first anniversary of the floods, people gathered under the slogan 'The people have grown'.

Throughout the protest, demonstrators chanted slogans denouncing the management of the catastrophe, including "president in Picassent," referring to the prison, "Mazón resign," and "more firefighters and less bullfighters."