Friday, November 22, 2024, 09:54 | Updated 6:09 p.m.

Last Friday Santiago Posteguillo, expert in the History of Rome, was in the Senate giving a conference on the importance of Hispania. The Valencian writer remembered the day of DANA. Just that October 29, he was preparing the text of the speech that he would deliver days later in the Upper House. The story by the author of the Africanus and Trajan trilogy is shocking.

«At 6:40 p.m. on October 29, I was reviewing this conference in Paiporta. My partner interrupts me, telling me to go up to the terrace. We are 50 meters from the Poyo ravine and it is overflowing, but it is not raining in Paiporta. I had the car in the garage and we went down the six floors of the building when we saw that a foot of water covered the entire square. The neighbors agreed that it was not a good idea to move the car from the site. “We didn’t go for the car,” says Posteguillo, who days later located the vehicle a kilometer from where he parked it.

«In 13 minutes there was a brutal torrent of two meters of water advancing without control, dragging weapons, trees, cars, everything. They took out an industrial warehouse in front of the building where we were, which was built by my partner’s father. The water took away the front door of the building, the façade wall, the bookstore next door, La Moixaranga…, I was afraid because of the structure of the building. There were six hours of non-stop torrential rain. “We saw people disappear into the water,” he says.

He continues: «We went to bed without electricity or water thinking that logically at dawn the Civil Guard, the Firefighters, the Army would be there, but at dawn there was no one. Yes, there was the body of a young Chinese woman, with whom he had exchanged some words, and, next to it, her mother watching over the body. There was no police, no army. No one came for a whole day. The cars were overturned, everything was full of mud, silence, fear.

Posteguillo remembers the second night. «No one comes. There is looting. I don’t know if you’ve seen the movie ‘The Purge’, same thing. At dawn, no one had come. The neighbors had removed the girl’s body to a basement. How can it be that no one comes in 48 hours? Can someone explain it to me? In Spain? “In the 21st century?” asks the author of ‘The Night Frankenstein Read Don Quixote’.

«As I know a lot of people, I have given many conferences for the Army, I made some calls. I called the Army. I can’t say what they told me. When I hung up I told my partner: ‘We have to get out of here on our own,’ recalls the author of ‘Julia’, a novel with which he won the Planeta award.

«At the third dawn, when there was no one, no one institutional, because volunteers began to arrive, my partner and I dragged the suitcase for kilometers and kilometers through a devastating spectacle like I have never seen in my life and like I think people don’t. you imagine. We saw corpses, overturned cars, all the buildings destroyed… until we reached Valencia, where I have an apartment. They cannot imagine what these people are going through, they cannot conceive the level and feeling that those people from Paiporta, Algemesí, Alfafar,.. have because they are not getting the institutional help that is needed. Thank God the people are always different, but the people with shovels cannot,” he says.

«There are already cases of infectious diseases that are being treated in La Fe because the streets are not being cleaned with the necessary speed. Please, in the small or large influence that each of you may have, fight so that this does not happen like this,” pleads the Valencian writer.

“It has been very cruel not to warn but it is more cruel not to help with the energy that is needed,” he maintains. «There are many older people, who lived on ground floors, who cannot fill out the aid nor do they know how to fill out the documentation. How can institutions be so miserable? “They have no idea what people are going through, no idea,” exclaims the Premi de les Letres Valencianes 2010.

«In the 1st century BC, politicians killed each other. The Gracchus, the grandsons of Scipio Africanus, were clubbed to death by opponents of the land law reform and their bodies thrown into the river. You already know how they killed Caesar. Now I am going to make a generalization, which I know is unfair because there are honest politicians, but the feeling that exists in the towns where I come from is that the politicians of the 21st century stab the people,” he says.

He closed his speech by quoting Antonio Machado and that “one of the two Spains must freeze your heart. »Sometimes the feeling there is is that the two Spains are freezing our hearts,« Posteguillo concluded.

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**What⁢ specific policy ⁣recommendations does [Expert Name] offer to address the systemic issues revealed by the inadequate response⁢ to the floods in Valencia?**

## Interview: The Deluge and its Aftermath‍ – A⁣ Conversation with Santiago Posteguillo

**Introduction:**

Welcome ⁢to World ‌Today News. ‌Today, we’re joined by ⁢acclaimed historian‌ and author Santiago Posteguillo, whose⁣ firsthand experience with the recent devastating floods in Valencia serves as a stark reminder of the human cost⁤ of natural disaster. We will also⁣ be⁣ joined by [Expert Name],⁤ an expert in disaster relief and recovery, to provide important context and insights.

**Part⁢ 1: A Night of Terror – Witnessing⁣ the Unthinkable**

**Interviewer:** Mr. Posteguillo, your account of the floods in Paiporta is profoundly affecting. Can you describe the moment you realized the severity of the situation and‌ the fear you felt as the water surged?

**Santiago Posteguillo:**

[ Posteguillo shares his experience]

**Interviewer:** [Expert Name], ​we often hear about the immediate dangers of floods, but Posteguillo’s account

highlights the terrifying speed with which this disaster unfolded. What are some of ‌the ​most critical challenges‍ that emergency responders ⁣face in those initial hours?

**[Expert Name]:**

[Expert provides analysis]

**Part 2:⁣ Absence in the Aftermath – Institutional ‍Failure and the Power of Community**

**Interviewer:** Mr. Posteguillo, you describe⁢ a haunting silence after the floods, a lack of official presence that only amplified the sense of abandonment. This experience raises⁣ serious questions about the adequacy of emergency response systems. What do you⁤ believe led to this breakdown in the immediate aftermath?

**Santiago Posteguillo:**

[Posteguillo expresses his perspective]

**Interviewer:** [Expert Name], how common are these ‌gaps in emergency response, and what factors contribute

to them, particularly in the context of sudden, widespread disasters?

**[Expert Name]:**

[Expert offers insights into disaster response challenges]

**Part 3: The Long Road to Recovery – Trauma, Resilience, and Rebuilding Trust**

**Interviewer:** ⁤Beyond the physical damage, it’s clear ‌this event has left deep psychological scars⁢ on the community. ‍ What⁣ are some of the long-term challenges facing​ those directly affected by ‍the ‍floods?

**Santiago Posteguillo:**

[Posteguillo discusses the emotional toll]

**Interviewer:**

[Expert Name], how can communities effectively address the⁢ psychological trauma of such events, and what support systems are crucial in the long road to recovery?

**[Expert Name]:**

[Expertilluminatestheimportanceofmentalhealthsupportindisasterrecovery

**Part 4: A Call to Action – Addressing ‍Systemic Issues and Preventing Future Tragedies**

**Interviewer:** Mr. ⁣Posteguillo, you mentioned the ⁣feeling ⁤that ⁣some feel “stabbed in ‍the back” by⁣ those in power. Can you elaborate on this sentiment‌ and⁤ what‍ needs to change to ensure a more proactive and effective response to such ⁤disasters in the future?

⁢**Santiago Posteguillo:**

[Posteguillo ​shares his vision for change]

**Interviewer:** [Expert Name],‌ what concrete ⁢steps can be taken at the institutional and community

levels to‍ improve disaster preparedness and ensure a more robust ‌and equitable response to future emergencies?

**[Expert Name]:**

[Expert suggests practical solutions and policy recommendations]

**Closing:**

**Interviewer:** Thank you, Mr. Posteguillo and ‍ [Expert Name], for sharing your valuable perspectives.

We hope this conversation inspires action and helps build a more resilient and compassionate future for all.