David Dalby, 79, was forced to seek refuge by floating on top of a mattress with his two dogs for hours when torrential rain killed 237 people in October last year
MADRID – A British pensioner who escaped with his life in the deadly Valencia downpour is still recovering a year later as experts said climate change could cause similar flash floods in eastern Spain.
David Dalby, 79, was forced to seek refuge by floating on top of a mattress with his two dogs for hours when torrential rain killed 237 people in October last year.
Dalby, a retired photographer from London, was not found by neighbours until a day later, disorientated but uninjured. His house was destroyed. No official help arrived until six days later.
As Valencia marks the first anniversary of the floods on Wednesday, experts said similar heavy rains could hit the same part of Spain again in the future because of the influence of climate change.
Valencia and the nearby Costa Blanca are among the most popular areas for British tourists coming to Spain. Heavy rains, which have already caused serious damage to Ibiza this year, could also affect the Balearic Islands.
Dalby, who moved to Spain in 2005, said that a year on from the floods, he had been paid €32,000 (£28,000) in compensation and spent €22,000 (£19,300), plus €5,000 (£4,400) of his own money. His house was still only about 70 per cent repaired.
After the flood, he suffered from E.coli and hypothermia, which caused him to forget words in English and Spanish because, he said, his “brain was so cold” as he waited in his devastated home for help.
His two cars were swept away from outside his remote home near orange groves in Bugarra, a village about 20 kilometres inland of Valencia.
“I don’t live in fear, I am quite happy living in the same house, I dodged a bullet and I take that away with me,” he told The i Paper.
“I feel lucky that I survived when so many people didn’t. One of those who was killed was only found about a week ago. I don’t look back. I just look forward.”
However, what is not clear is whether these catastrophic floods will become more common in the Mediterranean area, forecasters added.
“Most extreme events today have some degree of influence from climate change, since they all occur in a climate that has already been altered by human activity,” Dominic Royé, of the Spanish National Research Council, told El País newspaper.
Rúben Del Campo, of the state-run weather forecaster Aemet, said: “We don’t know if they will be more frequent or not, but when they arrive, they will potentially be more intense.”
Like thousands of others swept up in the floods, Dalby is angry that the Valencian regional leader, Carlos Mazón, is still in office.
Mazón is blamed by critics for issuing a warning to thousands of mobile phones after 8pm when people had already drowned.
“That still sticks with me and many other people. We could have more warning. I find it annoying that he is still at his job,” Dalby added.
Dalby said that since last year’s flooding, Valencians receive constant warnings about heavy rains.
“We get so many these days that if there is another big shower, are we going to take any notice?”
Nearly 60,000 homes, about 105,000 cars and more than 10,000 shops were damaged or destroyed in the floods, according to Spanish government figures.
Weather-related natural disasters, many worsened by climate change, are on the rise, according to the United Nations.
Studies show the prolonged time it can take to clear up after floods can also place stress on victims that leaves them with long-term mental health issues.
