Video: Rescuers save flood victims in Spain as emergency alert system faces criticism

Rescue and recovery operations are ongoing in Spain after the country experienced the worst storm and flooding it’s seen in decades.
The death toll is rising as officials assess the damage, and many people are still missing.
According to CNN, recent reports estimate that at least 140 people have died.
Torrential rain turned streets into rivers, sweeping away cars, buildings and people. Many sought refuge in their homes and atop buildings, becoming stranded.
Officials have launched widespread rescue efforts, extracting people from dangerous situations and moving them to safety.
A video posted on TikTok by ABC News, which has amassed millions of views, shows the flood’s devastation and the heroic actions of rescuers.
In the footage, a helicopter patrolling otherwise inaccessible areas rescues someone from floodwaters.
In other scenes, rescuers wade through raging waters, walk through destroyed buildings and use boats to navigate flooded landscapes.
The Spanish army deployed 1,000 soldiers as part of the rescue efforts as the storm shifts northward.
Emergency alerts have been issued for areas like Castellon and Catalonia, which join already hard-hit regions like Valencia, according to United Press International.
“Red Warning — Very heavy rain in the north of the province of Castellon: more than (7 inches) may accumulate. Extreme danger! Do not travel in the area unless absolutely necessary!” a post on X by the State Meteorological Agency warned, per United Press International.
“In nearby areas of Catalonia and the Valencian community, the orange warning continues,” the post continued.
According to CNN, many people in Spain were caught off guard by the storm, receiving alerts only after it had begun, which has led to criticism of the emergency alert system.
“It is appalling to see so many people dying in floods in Europe, when yet again weather forecasters had predicted extreme rainfall and issued warnings. The tragedy of people dying in cars and being swept away in streets is entirely avoidable if people can be kept away from rising flood water,” Hannah Cloke, a professor of hydrology at the U.K.’s University of Reading, told CNN.
“This suggests the system for alerting people to the dangers of floods in Valencia has failed, with fatal consequences,” she continued. “It is clear that people just don’t know what to do when faced with a flood, or when they hear warnings.”