SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
We begin this hour in Spain, where the eastern province of Valencia is still recovering from flash floods that devastated entire towns there Tuesday night. Four days later, we know that over 200 people have died, but rescue and recovery teams are still working to try and reach all locations. NPR's Miguel Macias joins us now from Seville. Miguel, thanks so much for being with us.
MIGUEL MACIAS, BYLINE: Thank you, Scott.
SIMON: Let's begin with the latest - what authorities are saying about the death tolls.
MACIAS: Well, just last night, the minister of interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said in an interview that he cannot estimate how many people are missing. So think about that - we don't even know the potential magnitude of the tragedy at this point.
SIMON: It's been a few days. How are rescue efforts proceeding?
MACIAS: Slowly. We've all seen the images of cars piled up on top of each other. It's just shocking. Yesterday, speaking to Cadena SER, a Spanish radio network, Maria Isabel Albalat - she's the mayor of one of the impacted towns, Paiporta - said that many streets were still blocked, so help could not fully access her town.
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MARIA ISABEL ALBALAT: (Speaking Spanish).
MACIAS: She's saying that when they get access to locations where one person has been reported dead, they find three or four bodies.
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ALBALAT: (Speaking Spanish).
MACIAS: Albalat says that some people have died inside their vehicles. Some people have even died inside their street-level homes, blocked by cars that were swept away with the river or mud. Think about this almost as a tsunami, Scott. This wasn't just water accumulating on the streets. You can see videos of a wave of brown water advancing until it turns into a violent river. People are devastated and sometimes also angry at what they see as a lack of response.
SIMON: And, Miguel, what has been the government response? I understand there's been some controversy over the way people were alerted to the floods.
MACIAS: That's right, Scott. The official agency that oversees weather events started to warn citizens about the storm as early as Thursday the 24. Then they also issued warnings, including a red alert, on Tuesday, early morning, around 7 a.m. But the direct alert to people's cell phones - that loud beeping alert that came from the regional government of Valencia - went out just past 8 p.m. that night. By that time, the flooding was up to 2 meters in some areas.
This is also rush hour in Spain, so many cars were on the road, going back home. In other words, the destruction was going to happen regardless, but the human toll might have being avoided. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke just this morning and said that the government will deploy 5,000 more troops to the region, 5,000 additional police officers. He also said that the regional government of Valencia, in the hands of the opposition party, only has to ask for what they need and the central government will deliver and that it was time for political unity - a not-so-subtle message to the conservatives.
SIMON: Miguel, what kind of reaction are you seeing among the people in the region to this crisis?
MACIAS: We've seen an outpouring of help and solidarity. There has been some looting, as well, but mostly people helping each other. Yesterday was a national holiday in Spain, and we got to see some images of hope, with thousands of people from Valencia walking to the most impacted areas in the outskirts of the city to help.
And I want to leave you with a happy story. Laura Hernandez was driving back from work with her husband when the flooding started on Tuesday. Their four children were back at home waiting for them. Well, Laura and her husband had to shelter inside an office building. And she spoke to Cadena SER.
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LAURA HERNANDEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
MACIAS: When they finally reunited, Laura says that the 17-year-old and her 12-year-old would touch them, hold them, in disbelief that the family was finally together after this nightmare. So here's to more of those moments in the hours to come, Scott.
SIMON: NPR's Miguel Macias, thanks so much for being with us.
MACIAS: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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