Students launch relief effort for Valencia after devastating floods

Severe flooding caused massive damage in the Valencia region at the end of October. Students, including Laura Palmero and Valencia native Paula Aviñó, joined forces to raise donations and awareness for the affected areas.

Last month, in just eight hours, as much rain fell as usually falls in an entire year. The rain was caused by a weather phenomenon where cold and warm air masses collide. The deluge destroyed homes, submerged roads, and turned streets into raging rivers. Dozens of people lost their lives, hundreds were reported missing or stranded, and the damage to infrastructure is immense.

Relief efforts

Laura Palmero, originally from Brussels, felt a strong urge to help. Together with fellow students from EUR Students for Valencia, she mobilised support through social media. “From outside Spain, it feels like there’s little you can do, but together we can still make a difference”, she said. Although Laura herself wasn’t directly affected by the disaster, she felt compelled to support others.

Working with Spanish students, Laura shared calls for action via Instagram and WhatsApp to involve fellow students in relief efforts. “I didn’t want to just sit and watch and do nothing; we wanted to take action”, she explained.

Their initiatives range from fundraising drives – proceeds of which funded a truckload of aid supplies – to a planned running event and various benefit activities. The run is scheduled for next month, while a benefit concert was already held at Jazz Café Dizzy in Rotterdam. Though the concert wasn’t organised by the students themselves, they helped promote it, highlighting the many events EUR students can join to contribute.

A truckload of aid

The first truck carrying aid supplies arrived in Valencia last Friday. Paula Aviñó, who is from Valencia and has lived in the Netherlands for three-and-a-half years, coordinated the relief effort alongside her work as a marketer for a transport company and her studies in Digital Marketing. Feeling powerless but determined to make an impact, she started a WhatsApp group to better organise support in the Netherlands.

What began as a one-time initiative has since grown into a series of projects as the needs in the affected area continue to evolve. “People need all sorts of things, from cleaning supplies and pet food to baby items and school supplies”, she explained.

Laura stressed the importance of considering both short- and long-term recovery. Rebuilding will require significant time and effort. Homes need to be repaired, and infrastructure must be replaced. “Together, we can ensure that the victims of the floods are not forgotten.”