Valencia flood victims face lingering trauma as rain returns
A year after the devastating floods in Valencia, Spain, survivors are still grappling with the mental toll. Jose Manuel Gonzalez, 58, spent six hours clinging to a traffic light during the October 2024 floods that killed over 220 people, including his brother. Even the sound of rain now triggers panic.
Gonzalez often wakes in shock, reliving the night he watched his daughter cling to a shop awning for safety. Doctors diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and tranquilizers have helped him manage anxiety during storms, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“I feel responsible for my elderly mother,” Gonzalez said, recalling how his brother died trying to save a woman from floodwaters. “Even a drop of rain is like an alarm going off in my head.”
Health experts warn that floods leave not only material damage but long-lasting psychological scars. Studies show almost one in five flood survivors suffer from PTSD. In Valencia, nearly 28% of adults affected reported symptoms, according to a regional government survey.
In response, the Spanish government created a special mental health emergency unit (USME), treating thousands of victims. Psychologists like Julieta Mondo use gradual exposure therapy and emotional support to help people confront their fear of water.
“Trauma makes your brain constantly remind you that rain is dangerous,” Mondo said. Women, often primary caregivers, are particularly affected as they balance caring for children while managing their own fears.
Across Valencia, survivors share harrowing experiences. Arantxa Ferrer escaped rising floodwaters by climbing to a neighbor’s apartment after her ground-floor flat began filling with water. Stories like hers highlight the deep emotional scars that remain long after the waters recede.
As rain returns to Valencia, survivors continue to face not only the risk of floods but the enduring shadow of trauma from one of Europe’s wettest years on record.
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