The DANA (Depresion Aislada en Niveles Altos, Isolated Depression at High Levels) that hit the areas of Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha has left, so far, 70 dead and dozens missing. However, none of them is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spain.
The intense rains caused by the DANA have left an approximate balance of at least 70 people dead, dozens missing, and serious material damage in the province of Valencia and the Castilla-La Mancha region. Of these, 68 were in Valencia, one in Cuenca, and another in Albacete. Dozens of people have suffered great material damage, and many slept in Valencia on top of trucks or cars, on roofs, or trapped in their vehicles. The storm is currently moving to Catalonia, Aragon, and western Andalusia.
The floods have trapped dozens of people in various areas of the province of Valencia and have caused power cuts. Currently, 140,000 people are still without electricity and there are numerous incidents in transport. The rains have caused blackouts, road closures, and the suspension of the high-speed rail service between Madrid and the Valencian community and the Mediterranean corridor to Barcelona.
The Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, has announced three days of mourning and disclosed that the government will declare the area as "highly affected" by the DANA. In addition, he has promised to provide "all aid" from the State and European funds. Defense, for its part, has mobilized air resources, military psychologists to assist the victims and their families, and dogs trained to locate corpses.
Solidarity of the Adventist churches and the NGO ADRA
For its part, the Adventist churches are stocking up to assist all the affected people who need help, as well as the NGO ADRA, which has begun to mobilize.
This video explains ADRA's first actions in Valencia
Churches of Valencia
Pastor Maicer Romero, head of the churches in the Northern Zone of Valencia, reported that, so far, there is no record of fatalities or missing persons among the parishioners, but there are significant material losses. In many cases, the torrential waters have taken away numerous vehicles of the Valencian brothers, rendering the vehicles useless. Many ground floors have also been flooded by the water. The brethren of the Valencia churches Vives, Timoneda, and the LLUM group (similar to CLAM and CERO), have been especially affected. At least 30 families have suffered damage from the floods, especially those who lived on ground floors. Many of them have lost everything.
Pastor Romero said that he is still receiving information because, due to the power cuts, many mobile phones were left without power, and communication is not as fluid as it should be.
Yesterday afternoon, a link was activated to collaborate with those affected, and churches such as the Sagunto Adventist Campus Church will open their doors to collect blankets, clothing, coats, bedding, and non-perishable food.
Sagunto and the CAS
In the Sagunto area, the Sagunto Adventist Campus (CAS) has not suffered significant damage from the DANA, although the HopeMedia facilities that house the campus, which are currently under construction, have suffered damage to the roof.
Many brethren from other communities, and even from outside Spain, have contacted the editorial staff of Revista Adventista to find out about the state of our churches and brethren.
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