The Last Mile of Solidarity: How Civil Society Rebuilding Valencia Reached Your Doorstep During the Flood to Keep Your Community Afloat

-After the devastating DANA on October 29, Valencia rises again thanks to the efforts of organized civil society and the solidarity of a diverse and intercultural citizenry

-Valencian Third Sector organizations demonstrate their effectiveness on the ground by assisting affected communities where public administrations cannot reach

-Jovesólides has strengthened its free care and inclusion services to facilitate the processing of aid for affected individuals, ensure the rights of the migrant community, and provide psychological support to older adults

-Social organizations and migrant-origin citizens face an unprecedented disinformation campaign, while 43,000 undocumented individuals remain completely unprotected

DANA | Volunteers from Casa Marruecos distribute food to families affected by the flood in Catarroja

Valencia has witnessed the worst natural disaster in Spain’s history. The storm on October 29 resulted in 222 fatalities, 4 missing persons, nearly 80 devastated municipalities, and 90% of the province’s business sector buried under mud after the catastrophic overflow of the Magro and Júcar rivers and the Poio ravine. However, the DANA has also unleashed a wave of solidarity and empathy from across the country, comparable only to the one that flooded the Galician coasts during the Prestige disaster exactly 22 years ago.

Steaming pots of hot harira and couscous make their way through the streets of Xenillet in Torrent as firefighters and neighbors work tirelessly to pump water out of flooded basements. Young Black men manually move piled-up cars and shovel mud from the roads in Alfafar. In the Rambleta neighborhood of Catarroja, dozens of friends and ‘friends of friends’ have restored a school buried under the sludge, transforming it into a logistical center distributing food and essential goods to families. In Aldaia, a group of women improvises a daycare center to care for everyone’s children while others try to reclaim their homes and lives, still neck-deep in water. Every morning for the past 20 days, thousands of volunteers of all ages cross the Bridge of Solidarity on foot, heading into the towns of l’Horta Sud equipped with brooms, shovels, brushes, gloves, and masks.

Beyond personal grief and the material reconstruction that will take months or even years, rebuilding the future of Valencia depends on a collective mourning process. This effort is being led by organized civil society, where diversity and interculturality play a crucial role in strengthening coexistence and cohesion.

Coordinated Response of Organized Civil Society During the Catastrophe Caused by the DANA in Valencia

During this humanitarian emergency, Valencian Third Sector organizations, operational on the ground from day one, have demonstrated their ability to effectively address the basic needs of affected communities, amplifying the actions of public administrations and reaching the end user. Covering the ‘last mile’ of solidarity has been possible thanks to the network of hundreds of local organizations working in coordination to distribute food and essential goods, as well as providing logistical and cleanup support.

The Coordinadora Valenciana de ONGDs compiles and updates daily the actions undertaken by Valencian organizations and institutions to respond to the catastrophic consequences of the flood in over 70 municipalities across the regions of l’Horta Sud, La Ribera, and Utiel-Requena.

How to Help Those Affected by the DANA in Valencia??

The Xarxa Europea de lluita contra la Pobreza Comunitat Valenciana has launched a website to channel and gather various forms of collaboration, volunteering, and aid organized by public administrations, EAPN CV entities, and other third-sector organizations, as well as citizen or professional initiatives created to support the affected municipalities and individuals. The website also provides useful advice and verified service information aimed at both people and entities wishing to collaborate and those affected, helping them find information, guidance, and the necessary support. 

#HELPDANA

The Plataforma de Voluntariat de la Comunitat Valenciana has launched a special initiative, in coordination with the Generalitat, to channel the volunteer efforts of thousands of people who are participating daily in cleaning tasks and distributing food in many of the affected areas.

Volunteering in the DANA: The Volunteering Platform Supporting Volunteer Action

DANA | Red Cross Volunteers Distribute Self-Protection Medical Supplies in the Municipalities of l’Horta Sud.

Jovesólides Strengthens Its Public Services to Address Social Needs Following the DANA

Jovesólides has enhanced its free care and inclusion services to facilitate the processing of official aid for affected families and freelancers, as well as to provide psychological support to older adults experiencing unwanted loneliness.

The Red e-Spai TIC in Valencia, Paterna, and Elche has begun processing numerous applications for aid offered by the Generalitat and the central government. These include assistance for damages to homes, vehicles, and personal belongings, support for rental payments, and protection for freelancers whose economic activity has been impacted.

In these spaces, you can also obtain the digital certificate needed to apply for aid online, as well as receive information and guidance to gather the required documentation for various procedures.

If you need support, you can book an appointment via WhatsApp at the following numbers:

682 47 66 96 – Red e-Spai TIC València

649 90 07 08 – Red e-Spai TIC Paterna

650 48 10 33 – Red e-Spai TIC Elche

Through the Generación Valores program, Jovesólides continues to provide psychological support and companionship to older adults experiencing unwanted loneliness. If you know someone who needs this ongoing free support, call 679 01 61 70.

Ensuring the rights of the migrant community, which has been left in an extremely vulnerable situation, is another priority during this emergency. In this regard, Jovesólides and Intermón Oxfam have signed a collaboration agreement to support around 130 individuals and families affected by the DANA. These groups face greater barriers to accessing aid and protection due to their social and employment circumstances.

DANA | Jovesólides and Oxfam Intermón collaborate to support those facing greater barriers to access aid and protection due to their social and employment situation.

Moreover, Jovesólides has intensified its network collaboration through the platforms it is part of, aiming to enhance coordination and political advocacy with public administrations. In the field of communication, an active dissemination strategy has been adopted to share relevant public service information, with the goal of reinforcing messages that counteract the numerous organized disinformation and fake news campaigns.

Mobilization and inclusion of migrant-based organizations: between disinformation and the risk of exclusion after the flood

The information crisis experienced during the humanitarian emergency in Valencia has once again highlighted that non-EU citizens and migrant-based social organizations are a primary target of harshly organized disinformation campaigns, xenophobic attacks, and racist and Islamophobic fake news, which foster polarization and social division.

Valencian citizens of migrant origin have suffered the consequences of the flood like any other neighbor, losing family members, livelihoods, homes, vehicles, and belongings. Additionally, nearly 43,000 people in irregular administrative situations now find themselves in extreme vulnerability and at risk of social exclusion, as they are excluded from all aid approved by both the central government and the Generalitat Valenciana.

In response to the spread of hate speech, numerous migrant organizations, as well as individuals from diverse backgrounds, have stepped up to help the Valencian population. Some notable examples include:

• – The women of Casa Marruecos, cooking and distributing hot meals to families in need in Torrent.

• – A group of young Senegalese volunteers from Reus cleaning the streets of Alfafar to the rhythm of Wolof.

• – The Colombian community organizing solidarity routes in the flooded municipalities to ensure that water and food quickly reached those most in need.

• – The solidarity message from a group of Indian citizens from Lloret de Mar helping with the cleanup in l’Horta Sud..

• – The solidarity gesture of Chinese business owners donating shovels, boots, and disinfectant to volunteers clearing mud from the streets of Manises.

• – The African community in Valencia draws on resilience to rebuild municipalities like Catarroja, which have now become their entire life.

• – The Roma community in Valencia has created an emergency fund to support affected families and distribute food and essential goods in the impacted areas.

After the devastation caused by the DANA, Valencia is rising again thanks to a compassionate citizenry and a Third Sector that leaves no one behind. Organizations like Jovesólides are leading support efforts for those affected while confronting disinformation and the exclusion of thousands of migrants. Reconstruction is progressing, driven by social justice and intercultural coexistence.