LOSSES caused by the flooding disaster which has hit the Vega Baja and the south of Valencia province will run to more than €1.5 billion, according to regional president Ximo Puig.
Three people died in Orihuela, Redován and Dolores as a result of the flooding – and thousands of people were evacuated, several hundred by boat or helicopter, as more than 600 soldiers from the army’s UME brigade and 1,000 Guardia Civil officers were drafted in. Tales of heroism abound as members of the security forces and volunteers risked their lives to rescue residents and animals trapped by rising floodwater.