Sunday, November 10

Tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets in Valencia, Spain, to protest against the government's handling of the region's devastating flooding last week.

The floods occurred last week when large rain bands crossed eastern and southern Spain, dumping over a foot of rain onto large cities like Valencia and Seville. At least 220 people were killed, and search-and-rescue teams are still searching for over 80 people who remain missing. Many people were swept away by the raging rivers on streets, as rain caused the ocean and several rivers to overflow. Valencia residents described the arrival of the water as a "tsunami" as a massive wall of water charged through the city, bringing people, cars, belongings, and even entire homes with it.

Soon after the incident, locals began blaming the regional government for their late warning on the flooding. While the country's national weather service issued storm warnings several days before the rains even hit, Valencia's regional weather service only issued a warning two hours after the flooding had begun. Due to this, residents were unprepared for the major flooding that would eventually occur, leaving locals vulnerable in open areas. People in cars were quickly washed away, while others on the streets were either swept up by the currents or managed to cling onto some sort of firm item like a tree or lightpole.

In recent days, residents of Valencia have become increasingly angry over the alleged failure to warn citizens as the death toll continues to rise, leading them to take to the streets. Earlier this week, locals threw mud and other items at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the king and queen of Spain during their visit to Paiporta, one of the hardest-hit towns in the Valencia region. A massive protest on Saturday involved tens of thousands of people who protested mostly non-violently for the resignation of Carlos Mazón, the president of the Valencian government. One banner stated, "Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood," along with chants of the same line as swaths of people surrounded the Valencia City Hall. However, some protestors near the City Hall turned violent, throwing objects like rocks and chairs, breaking windows, and even starting a fire. They also smeared the building with mud and handprints. The small bit of violence forced police to step in, pushing back crowds using batons.

In his defense, Mazón has said that he did not get enough information from the central government to be able to issue a warning and that Valencian officials did not receive a proper notification on the true dangers of the incoming floods.

Valencia is only beginning to recover from this devastating natural disaster, and the frequency of these events will only increase as climate change worsens. In fact, 2024 is expected to be the first year in history to cross the threshold of the Paris Agreement, which states that warming needs to be kept under 1.5 degrees Celsius to prevent irreparable damage to all of Earth's ecosystems. Unfortunately, this may become a slippery slope, as one effect will lead to another, eventually heating the world even faster. We are currently at the crucial tipping point where the world will decide the future of global warming, but very few countries are taking action.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Ostrich eggs are the largest eggs in the animal world-- they measure around 6 inches long and 5 inches wide, weighing an average of three pounds. As a comparison, that is around 20 times the size of a chicken egg.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. (Jack Welch)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Feign (verb)- To feign something (such as surprise, ignorance, or sleep) is to pretend to feel or be affected by it.

In a Sentence: I would never feign illness just to get out of a test.