Why did Spain's flash flood warning come so late?

More than a year’s worth of rain fell in southern Spain in barely eight hours on Tuesday.

It caused devastation. By Thursday the death toll had reached 155 with an unconfirmed number of people still thought to be missing.

Valencia appears to be the worst hit city; the images of cars piled up on narrow residential streets and videos of torrents of muddy water sweeping away all before it were unprecedented scenes in the European city. People of all ages died when they were trapped in their cars or homes or simply swept away by the sheer force of the water.

Valencia has experienced significant rain events in the past particularly in autumn – but nothing like this. It’s to do with the DANA weather phenomenon whereby, at its most basic, cold and warm air meet and produce powerful rain clouds. The intensity of such rainfall events appears to be increasing due to climate change and rising global temperatures.

As Guy Hedgcoe explains from Madrid that in the calm after the chaos of the flood, citizens in the region are questioning if the authorities could have done more. And who will pay for the clean up in what insurance analysts in Spain have predicted that the floods will mark the most expensive natural disaster to ever hit the country.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Aideen Finnegan.

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