{"id":173576,"date":"2024-11-20T15:52:45","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T14:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=173576"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:36","slug":"students-launch-relief-effort-for-valencia-after-devastating-floods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/11\/20\/students-launch-relief-effort-for-valencia-after-devastating-floods\/","title":{"rendered":"Students launch relief effort for Valencia after devastating floods"},"content":{"rendered":"

Severe flooding caused massive damage in the Valencia region at the end <\/span>of October. Students, including Laura Palmero and Valencia native Paula <\/span>Avi\u00f1\u00f3, joined forces to raise donations and awareness for the affected <\/span>areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Donors deliver items to the truck that departed for Valencia last week.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLaura Palmero Pelaez<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

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

Relief efforts<\/h2>

Laura Palmero, originally from Brussels, felt a strong urge to help. <\/span>Together with fellow students from EUR Students for Valencia<\/a>, she <\/span>mobilised support through social media. \u201cFrom outside Spain, it feels like <\/span>there\u2019s little you can do, but together we can still make a difference\u201d, she <\/span>said. Although Laura herself wasn\u2019t directly affected by the disaster, she <\/span>felt compelled to support others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Working with Spanish students, Laura shared calls for action via <\/span>Instagram and WhatsApp to involve fellow students in relief efforts. \u201cI <\/span>didn\u2019t want to just sit and watch and do nothing; we wanted to take <\/span>action\u201d, she explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their initiatives range from fundraising drives \u2013 proceeds of which funded <\/span>a truckload of aid supplies \u2013 to a planned running event and various <\/span>benefit activities. The run is scheduled for next month, while a benefit <\/span>concert was already held at Jazz Caf\u00e9 Dizzy in Rotterdam. Though the <\/span>concert wasn\u2019t organised by the students themselves, they helped <\/span>promote it, highlighting the many events EUR students can join to <\/span>contribute.<\/span><\/p>\n

A truckload of aid<\/h2>

The first truck carrying aid supplies arrived in Valencia last Friday. Paula <\/span>Avi\u00f1\u00f3, who is from Valencia and has lived in the Netherlands for three-<\/span>and-a-half years, coordinated the relief effort alongside her work as a <\/span>marketer for a transport company and her studies in Digital Marketing. <\/span>Feeling powerless but determined to make an impact, she started a <\/span>WhatsApp group to better organise support in the Netherlands.<\/span><\/p>\n

What began as a one-time initiative has since grown into a series of <\/span>projects as the needs in the affected area continue to evolve. \u201cPeople <\/span>need all sorts of things, from cleaning supplies and pet food to baby items <\/span>and school supplies\u201d, she explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There is an urgent demand for high-pressure cleaners, cleaning <\/span>equipment, and other tools to deal with the aftermath of the flooding and <\/span>damage. \u201cWe\u2019re thinking beyond the usual aid items because the needs are so varied\u201d, Paula added.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Laura stressed the importance of considering both short- and long-term <\/span>recovery. Rebuilding will require significant time and effort. Homes need <\/span>to be repaired, and infrastructure must be replaced. \u201cTogether, we can <\/span>ensure that the victims of the floods are not forgotten.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t

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