Bon dia. The towns hit by DANA Adam are slowly recovering, with Oliva at the center of the damage. As the housing protest in the Ayuntamiento continues, Benimaclet’s long-debated development plan has been approved over residents’ objections.
Note: October 29 will mark 2 years since the DANA disaster that killed more than 230 people. A number of events will mark the anniversary, culminating in a large protest at Plaza de la Virgn on 31 October. Expect street closures and increased police presence on those days.
News at a glance
- Saturday, 31 October: DANA anniversary protest at Plaza de la Virgen.
- Wednesday, 11 November: General strike on the cost-of-living and housing crisis.
- Sunday, 29 November: General election takes place.
City & Environment
Government moves on DANA disaster zones
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared the towns damaged by the recent DANA Adam as “seriously affected zones”, allowing national aid to flow to the area. Oliva, in the La Safor region, was the epicenter, and at least three people were killed and thousands were displaced. Las Provincias profiled a family that spent the night stranded in their attic as floodwater rose and was rescued by heavy machinery in the morning.
In Spanish: Sánchez declarará como “zonas gravemente afectadas” las poblaciones dañadas por la dana ‘Adam’ (El País)
Warm Mediterranean fuels extreme storms
Scientists told Las Provincias that a warming Mediterranean is the “trigger” for extreme storms. Just before DANA Adam arrived, the sea was 2.5 degrees warmer than normal for October, which worsens seasonal DANAs and drives heavy rain inland. Sánchez, on his visit to the flooded areas, called for a climate pact alongside immediate aid and disaster management. An El País podcast asked whether there will be a DANA every year and examined why they are becoming more frequent. The paper also reported that this year’s early warning systems saved lives, in contrast to the 2024 DANA that killed more than 230 people.
In Spanish: El Mediterráneo como ‘gatillo’ de temporales extremos (Las Provincias)
New DANA could form in early November
Aemet is watching a pocket of cold air moving toward the warmer Mediterranean, Las Provincias reported. A DANA (isolated depression at high levels, a cold-air system that can bring heavy rain) could develop on 3 or 4 November, according to forecasters, who put the chance of a storm at 50/50. Forecasters stress it is too early to say for certain. Meteorologists expect a stable week of weather for now, with the possibility of rain the following week.
In Spanish: Una nueva dana amenaza Valencia y el Mediterráneo para principios de noviembre (Las Provincias)
Flood zones expand in updated Patricova
The updated Patricova, the Valencian Community’s flood-risk plan, raised to 13 the number of municipalities lying entirely in a flood zone, Las Provincias reported. Picanya and Alcàsser are now classified as areas of extreme flood risk. The paper published a map showing how the risk area has grown around L’Horta Sud and Alzira, putting residences and buildings in question.
In Spanish: El nuevo Patricova eleva a trece los municipios que tienen todo su término en zona inundable (Las Provincias)
Poyo ravine, two years on
Las Provincias has a good explainer video that retraces the path of the Poyo river as it flooded L’Horta Sud on 29 October 2024. The report examines what changes have been made to avoid a similar disaster. It includes subtitles and visual explanations of what happened that day.
In Spanish: Regreso al barranco del Poyo dos años después (Las Provincias)
City & Politics
Benimaclet development plan approved
The plan to develop the green space in Benimaclet was approved on Friday after decades of debate and changed proposals, Valencia Plaza reported. The PAI (an urban development program) includes as many as 1,300 homes and 70,000 square meters of green space in a central park. Some residents opposed it as “elitist” housing that did not offer enough social and protected options for low-income renters. Valencia Extra reported that before the vote residents asked for a road to be removed and for more green space with public facilities. The same outlet said the project also extends the Turia River Park to connect with the port.
In Spanish: Las ‘vidas’ del PAI de Benimaclet: así ha mutado el proyecto tras décadas de cambios y polémicas (Valencia Plaza)
Valencia tops list for garbage fees
A new study found that Valencia has the most expensive garbage fees among the cities compared, Levante-EMV reported. Residents pay an average of 292 euros per household, the highest of the group.
In Spanish: Un estudio sitúa a València como la ciudad con la tasa de basura más cara: 292 euros por hogar (Levante-EMV)
City & Economy
Mestalla neighbors reject development plan
Neighbors of Mestalla stadium are rejecting plans to sell the land to real estate developers, Levante-EMV reported. Once the new Nou Mestalla stadium is finished, the old stadium is to be replaced with residential towers. Some residents called the proposal a real estate business to benefit Valencia CF owner Peter Lim.
In Spanish: Clamor vecinal contra el PAI de Mestalla: “Es un negocio inmobiliario para beneficiar a Peter Lim” (Levante-EMV)
Peter Lim sells 42% of Valencia CF
Meanwhile, Peter Lim, owner of Valencia Football Club, sold a 42% stake to Pitchwise Holdings, an American sports investment group that agreed to inject 100 million euros in the club, Las Provincias reported. The paper looked at who is behind the purchase, and said the buyers include Penner Sports Group, owner of the Denver Broncos. Valencia Plaza also reported on the sale.
In Spanish: Quién está detrás de Pitchwise Holdings, el grupo que ha comprado el 42% del Valencia (Las Provincias)
More protected housing planned, few completed
Public housing construction is rising in the Valencian Community but still falls short of demand, Valencia Plaza reported. More VPO (protected housing) projects are in the approval process, but only 178 have been completed this year.
In Spanish: La otra cara del repunte de la VPO en la Comunitat: más en tramitación, pero solo 178 terminadas (Valencia Plaza)
City & Security
Night brawls continue on Avenida del Cid
Residents near a nightclub on Avenida del Cid are asking police to intervene after another night of mass brawls, Las Provincias reported. Residents recorded violent fights between groups of men and women on Friday night. They have repeatedly asked police to shut down the disturbances. The paper did not report a response from the police.
In Spanish: Las brutales peleas nocturnas siguen junto a una discoteca en la avenida del Cid de Valencia (Las Provincias)
Trial opens in fatal Natzaret church stabbing
A trial begin today for a church pianist and two relatives accused of fatally stabbing the 24-year-old son of a fellow churchgoer outside an evangelical church in Natzaret and wounding his 16-year-old brother, Levante-EMV reported. Prosecutors are seeking nearly 100 years in total, about 32 years for each of the three defendants. They say the pianist felt humiliated after the choir director, a woman, signaled him to stop playing when he lost the tempo during a service five days earlier, and that he later wrote in the church’s WhatsApp group that he humbles himself “only before God, not before any woman”. Levante-EMV has followed the case since the arrests last year and links it to a series of incidents it describes as clan violence and gender violence in the region.
In Spanish: El jurado se prepara para juzgar la encerrona mortal del pianista del culto evangélico de Natzaret (Levante-EMV)
NATO dog patrols train at Roig Arena
Roig Arena hosted NATO’s biggest anti-terror exercise for canine patrols, Levante-EMV reported. Forty-eight anti-terror dog patrols practiced sniffing out bombs and apprehending suspects in the arena’s multiuse spaces.
In Spanish: El olfato militar más agudo para resolver una crisis terrorista con rehenes en el Roig Arena (Levante-EMV)
City & Culture
Kwizera smashes Spain’s half marathon record in Valencia
Records fell at the Valencia Half Marathon on Sunday. Rodrigue Kwizera, a Burundi-born runner who became a Spanish citizen this summer, ran the 21 kilometers in 58 minutes and 3 seconds, beating the Spanish record and finishing 3 seconds faster than the current European record. That European mark won’t change for now, because his transfer from Burundi to Spain with World Athletics has not yet been formalized, so the time stands only as a Spanish record. Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui won the women’s race in 1 hour 3 minutes and 51 seconds.
In Spanish: Valencia pone en órbita a Rodrigue Kwizera, que pulveriza el récord de España de medio maratón (El País)
Fallas 2027 set to be most expensive yet
Las Provincias reported that Fallas 2027 will be the most expensive on record. Fallas is the city’s festival of monumental sculptures and street celebrations. More than 10 million euros will be spent, from the City Council to individual falla art and festivities. The festival’s growing popularity is lucrative for the city but also a burden on its infrastructure during the 19-day celebration.
In Spanish: Las Fallas de Valencia suben de nivel y plantarán en 2027 las más caras de la historia (Las Provincias)
