Humanity and camaraderie in Valencia are the most beautiful things I have ever seen

Emergency services have truly been put to the test here over the last few days

A boy helps to clear mud from the street after floods in Massanassa, just outside of Valencia. Picture: AP Photo/Alberto Saiz

If you had told me in October 2023 that in a year’s time I would be living and working in Spain, I would never have believed it. But, as I have observed over the last few days, things can change quickly and, well – one, two, skip a few – eight months later I was signing a rental lease for a flat in the centre of Valencia city, or as it is fondly known here, La Terreta.

And if you had told me in July 2024 that much of La Terreta would be a scene of absolute ruin which resulted in three days of national mourning, well, I wouldn’t have believed that either.