'No one came to save us': in this destroyed Spanish city, people are angry

In the Spanish city of Algemesi, people are angry.

The suburb of Raval was one of the worst hit by flash floods, but residents feel abandoned.

At least 158 people were killed in the disaster in the east Spain – with the worst flooding concentrated around the Valencia region.

Spain floods last: Looting breaks out when the number of deaths from floods exceeds 150

“When the alarm came, the water was already two meters high,” Carolina shouts from her balcony. “There were no police, firefighters or the mayor. No one came to save us.”

The distress is heard street after street.

Carmen puts her head in her hands and cries.

“They lost everything,” she says, pointing to her neighbors’ houses.

Every house is in ruins and the owners are heartbroken.

Dolores shows us her house. She says the flood reached the ceiling, but with no help coming, they had to punch holes in the walls to clear the water.

“I feel terrible. I’m terrified and very scared. My husband is sick – we need more help,” she says.

The level of destruction is enormous.

On the street we meet Noel with his children. The youngest toddler with bare feet in the mud.

Yesterday Noel and his wife had nothing to eat. He feels helpless.

“Right now there are people who are trapped. The mud is up to their waists, so they can’t open their doors,” he said.

“I live on a high floor, so I had no problems with the flooding in my house, but I have no water, light or food.”

There is a growing sense of desperation in this suburb.

At one point someone shouts “food!” and people rush to grab what they can from a nearby store.

It is not clear whether they were let in by the owner or if they are looting.

The devastation is so great and at a time when people are in greatest need, they feel frustrated and alone.

In a nearby shelter we meet people from Algemesi who have become homeless due to the flood.

Carol says she has never felt so hopeless.

“There was a log that hit the front of my house. There are no walls, no ceiling. I have nothing. There’s nothing left,” she explains as she begins to cry.

For many, the initial trauma of this natural disaster has been compounded in the aftermath by a sense of loss and loneliness.