BARRIO DE LA TORRE, Spain (AP) — Moments after rushing waters burst through the door to her home, Mari Carmen Pérez received a text message alert from regional Spanish authorities warning her of the possibility of flash floods.
By the time Pérez's phone buzzed, the water has already gushed into her kitchen, living room and bathroom, forcing her and her family to flee upstairs.
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People clean their houses affected by floods in Utiel, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Vehicles are seen piled up after being swept away by floods on a motorway in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
People pick up goods in a supermarket affected by the floods in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
A woman cleans her house affected by floods in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Two people push a cart loaded with belongings in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
“They didn’t have any idea of what was going on,” Pérez, a 56-year-old cleaner, said Thursday by phone from Barrio de la Torre in Valencia. “Everything is ruined. The people here, we have never seen anything like this.”
She was one of the lucky ones. More than 150 people died, many trapped in cars or the ground floor of their homes, when storm-fed riverbeds burst their banks and swept through dozens of localities on the southern outskirts of Valencia city.
The massive number of dead — easily making the floods the worst natural disaster in Spain in living memory — has raised questions about how this could happen in a European Union country that excels in public safety.
As rescuers continued to pull bodies from the mud and debris Thursday, anger also began to grow among the families and friends mourning lost loved ones and many more thousands whose livelihoods have been shattered by the deluge. The streets were full of people walking to procure basic supplies with their cars ruined and the streets undrivable because of the mud and debris.
The Valencian regional government is being criticized for not sending out flood warnings to mobile phones until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, when the flooding had already started in some places and well after the national weather agency issued a red alert indicating heavy rains.
Valencia regional President Carlos Mazón, of the conservative Popular Party, defended his administration’s management of the crisis, saying “all our supervisors followed the standard protocol” that was coordinated by Spain’s central government.
Spain’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that regional administrations are responsible for sending alerts to warn the population of possible flooding and other natural disasters.
Mazón is also under fire for his announcement at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday that the storm front would “lose strength” by 6:00 p.m. The opposite occurred.
The size and violence of the extreme weather event was shocking and extremely difficult for any administration to prepare for and predict. But Valencia, on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, has a history of autumn storms that produce floods, albeit at a smaller magnitude than this monster of a storm.
Spain’s national weather agency had alerted officials and the public via its website and social media on Sunday, two days before the tragedy struck, that there was a 70% chance of torrential rain ahead.
The agency then issued a red alert, the highest level of warning, for bad weather as early as 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning as the disaster loomed.
Andreu Salom, mayor of the Valencian village of L’Alcudia, told national broadcaster RTVE that his town lost at least two residents, a daughter and her elderly mother who lived together, and that police were still searching for a missing truck driver.
He complained that he and his townsfolk had no warning of the disaster that struck when the Magro River overflowed.
“I myself was on my way to check the river level because I had no information,” Salom said. “I went with the local police but we had to turn back because a tsunami of water, mud, reeds and dirt was already entering the town.”
Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.
People clean their houses affected by floods in Utiel, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Vehicles are seen piled up after being swept away by floods on a motorway in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
People pick up goods in a supermarket affected by the floods in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
A woman cleans her house affected by floods in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Two people push a cart loaded with belongings in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rowdy crowds took to the streets of Los Angeles after the Dodgers won the World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and lighting off fireworks. A dozen arrests were reported by police Thursday, but officials emphasized that most fans celebrated peacefully.
Video showed revelers throwing objects at police in downtown LA as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area late Wednesday after the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in Game 5 in New York.
Other video showed someone standing atop a bus waving a Dodgers banner and people running from a boarded-up Nike store with armfuls of sneakers before throwing the merchandise into cars parked outside. No injuries were reported.
Despite some unrest, “the overwhelming majority of celebrations last night were joyful and peaceful,” Mayor Karen Bass said at a Thursday news conference discussing the logistics of Friday's planned victory parade.
“We will work to keep Angelenos safe as always,” Bass said, emphasizing that “violence of any kind will not be tolerated.”
The mayor, who wore a Dodgers jersey with her name on the back, noted that the parade will be held on what would've been Fernando Valenzuela 's 64th birthday. The beloved Dodgers pitcher died last week.
Bass said she will be sending a Dodgers jersey to New York Mayor Eric Adams to wear at his City Hall “because he has lost the bet.”
Officials said the Los Angeles Police Department will be on high alert throughout the week to protect communities and businesses in the city, which has been the site of previous unrest after championship wins by both the Lakers and the Dodgers.
There were some “unruly, and at times violent and hostile celebrations” after Wednesday's win, with several acts of vandalism, including the burning of a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus, LAPD spokesperson Officer Drake Madison said in an email.
Arrests were on charges such as failure to disperse, receiving stolen property or commercial burglary, Madison said. There were also several instances of street takeovers downtown and police used less-lethal munitions to control several hostile and violent crowds, Madison said. In the coming days, detectives will attempt to identify those responsible for crimes, he said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said his deputies will be on full alert for various events, including the celebrations of the Dodgers’ win, Halloween festivities and the upcoming elections. Luna said Wednesday night’s problems were caused by “a very small segment of east Los Angeles communities. Most of them were out celebrating because they love their Dodgers.”
The Dodgers plan to commemorate their championship Friday with a downtown parade followed by a celebration at Dodger Stadium. The team said Wednesday that because of logistics, traffic and timing, fans won’t be able to attend both events.
The parade was expected to include members of the Dodgers traveling atop double-decker buses along a 45-minute route on city streets.
Officials urged people to work from home and to use public transportation when possible Friday.
Associated Press journalists Sarah Brumfield in Washington, D.C., and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
This story corrects that Bass was not wearing a Valenzuela jersey, but one with her name on the back.
A person covered in blue paint runs from a police officer as fans celebrate on streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A person carries out items from a ransacked Nike store after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fireworks go off as fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fireworks go off as fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fireworks go off as fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fans dance while celebrating on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fireworks go off as fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fans celebrate after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles.
A fan confronts police on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A person covered in blue paint runs from a police officer as fans celebrate on streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A person covered in blue paint, paints on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A police officer on horseback grabs a Los Angeles Dodgers flag as people gather on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Police officers attempt to detain a man as people gather on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
An LAFD arson investigator inspects a bus that was set on fire at Sunset and Echo Park after people gathered on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series early Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters douse water on a bus that was set on fire at Sunset and Echo Park after people gathered on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series early Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters douse water on a bus that was set on fire at Sunset and Echo Park after people gathered on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series early Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A person carries out items from a ransacked Nike store after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
People carries out items from a ransacked Nike store after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A fan wearing a Shohei Ohtani taunts Los Angeles Police officers as fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Firefighters douse water on a bus that was set on fire at Sunset and Echo Park after people gathered on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series early Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A person carries out items from a ransacked Nike store after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees to win the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Fireworks go off as fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A fan looses control of his skateboard as fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Fans celebrate on the streets after the Los Angeles Dodgers won against the New York Yankees in the baseball World Series Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
