Flood survivors leaving Valencia have lost confidence government can protect them
Survivors of last week's flash floods in Valencia have started leaving the region after "losing confidence" that the government will rebuild their homes and protect them from future disasters.
The search for survivors in the worst storm to hit Europe in decades is continuing one week after Valencia was ravaged by torrential rain , killing more than 200 people.
A massive clean-up operation remains under way, with police continuing to search a car park in Valencia after fears bodies may be trapped in vehicles that are still submerged in water.
One week on from the devastating floods, anger is turning into despondency, leaving some residents feeling as if they have no choice but to pack up and leave.
'Like returning to the stone age'
Tobias ten Haaf, a Dutch entrepreneur, lost his house in the town of Picanya, which was ravaged when the Poyo river burst its banks last Tuesday.
Located just 15 minutes from the beach and 20 minutes from the mountains, Mr ten Haaf told The Telegraph he, his Mexican-born wife and their two-month-old son were "very happy" living in their "dream location".
"But it turned into a nightmare," Mr ten Haaf said, describing the "tsunami-like surge" of water that drove him and his family upstairs as the ground floor was submerged by a deluge of floodwater.
As turned out to be the case for thousands of residents, Mr ten Haaf first received a notification from the local authorities warning about flooding at 8.12pm, but by then, it was too late.
"We had no signal, no way to reach emergency services, no power, and no running water. We were completely cut off; it's so scary, like returning to the stone age," he said.
Mr ten Haaf, who is temporarily staying with his family at a friend's place, said he is moving because he is unable to trust the authorities' response to any future flooding.
"Given the rising risks from climate change, this kind of natural disaster is only going to become more frequent," the businessman explained.
In the nearby town of Paiporta, where around one third of the 211 deaths in Valencia took place, Denis Borisov said he and his family would also be moving elsewhere, probably in the Valencia area.
"There is no way they are going to be able to make the town habitable in a year, or maybe longer," the Bulgarian-born Mr Borisov told The Telegraph.
Political blame game
The move out of Valencia by some residents comes as Carlos Mazón , the regional president, continues to face accusations that authorities have reacted too slowly in providing aid and support to citizens.
The anger that was brewing among locals came to a head on Sunday when Pedro Sánchez , the prime minister, and the king and queen, were pelted with mud during a visit to Paiporta.
Mr Mazón on Monday appeared to lay the blame on the regional water authority, which reports to Mr Sánchez's national government, for "deactivating the alert" last Tuesday afternoon.
The Júcar Hydrographic Confederation did report on falling levels in the Poyo waterway that afternoon, but the newspaper El Mundo published on Tuesday an email from the water body to the Valencian regional authority warning of an alarming surge.
The email was sent at 6.43pm, before the Poyo burst its banks and 90 minutes before public alerts were issued.
Mr Sánchez announced a €10.6 billion (£8.9bn) aid package for Valencia on Tuesday.
Referring to claims that the national government is to blame for the delayed response, Mr Sánchez said: "There will be a time [...] to find out how to improve civil protection systems and know where responsibility lies".
