The Night Everything Changed
On 29 October 2024, Toñi García's life shattered when catastrophic storms battered the Iberian peninsula, unleashing the heaviest rainfall of the century. The Valencia resident watched in horror as flood waters tore through her community, claiming 229 lives including her beloved husband Miguel Carpio and daughter Sara.
The national alert system finally activated around 8:30pm local time, but by then it was tragically too late. Torrential waters had already breached the city, with scientists later confirming the explosive downpours were directly linked to climate breakdown.
A Family Torn Apart
Toñi García had built a beautiful life with her husband of over thirty years. "We would spend the day together, we would meet at work," she recalls. Their daughter Sara, an intensive care nurse at La Fe hospital, completed their close-knit family that did everything together - from gym visits to hairdresser appointments.
That fateful afternoon, they returned to their fourth-floor apartment in Benetússer, on Valencia's outskirts, around 5pm. Despite both working for the regional government, they had received no warnings about the impending disaster.
"My daughter was scared," Toñi remembers. "At half past six, she asked me from the balcony if the town could get flooded. I told her it was impossible." Having lived in the area for sixty years, Toñi had never witnessed flooding and trusted the authorities would alert them via WhatsApp or text if danger approached.
When Sara remained anxious, they checked their phones together. No messages, no alerts. Her husband's phone similarly showed nothing. "I tried to reassure her, saying: 'Look, they haven't warned us about anything, so nothing is going to happen.'"
The Deadly Decision
At exactly 7:15pm, everything changed. Sara cried out from the balcony: "Mum, Dad, come, come." They saw shallow brown water, less than 15cm deep, flowing through the streets.
Their first thought was to move their cars from the underground garage in case flooding occurred. Miguel went downstairs, followed shortly by Sara who drove a separate vehicle. Toñi remained on the balcony, calling her sister in Valencia city to warn her not to visit that night.
"Then I heard a strange noise in the background," Toñi recalls. "It was as if something heavy was being dragged on asphalt." She looked right and saw a huge wave carrying a wall of reeds. Water began pouring in with tremendous force, dragging containers and soon lifting parked cars from the streets.
The power failed immediately. Toñi rushed downstairs but stopped at the street courtyard where water already reached 2.5 metres deep. Unable to reach the garage, she returned upstairs and contacted Sara's boyfriend.
Using a location-sharing app, he tried to find Sara. At 8:09pm, he delivered the devastating news: "We've all tried, all our friends. I can't locate her."
Aftermath and Institutional Failure
Before the Valencian regional government even raised the alarm, Miguel, Sara and a neighbour had drowned. It took until late on 31 October, with water-pumping trucks and expert divers, to recover their bodies.
Toñi describes the sounds that haunt her: "The water was rushing with tremendous force. It was like a raging sea, fierce, stopping at nothing." After ground-floor doors burst open, walls were struck by cars and lorries swept away by the current. "The rumble of cars smashing into the pillars is a sound that I will never forget."
The morning after brought no relief. "We still had hope of finding my husband and daughter. But the lights weren't working, we had no water, and the authorities weren't answering our calls." She describes a "hellish situation of darkness, death and institutional silence."
Toñi became one of the first family members to publicly denounce those responsible, directly criticising the Valencian regional government for their failure to warn residents. "I knew exactly who was responsible," she states firmly.
She has taken her fight to the European Parliament in Brussels, vowing to continue until justice is served. "I will continue to fight for what I believe they died unjustly for, because it was due to a lack of prevention."
The psychological toll remains heavy. "Yesterday, I was with my psychiatrist. He had to increase the dose of the antidepressant I am taking," she reveals. "I told him that we have no life, that until this is over and they admit their mistake, we cannot mourn."
Despite her grief, Toñi finds strength in her memories. "I have been very fortunate because I have had the best people in my life. The ones who have made me happy. I have had the greatest gift in life, which has been them both."
Her determination remains unshaken: "For all those people who do not have strength, I will find it."
Just days after the first anniversary of the Valencia floods, Carlos Mazón, the conservative president of Valencia widely criticised for his handling of the disaster, resigned.
