by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
MADRID (Worthy News) – The aftermath of Spain’s worst flooding in recent memory became clearer Monday as Valencia’s regional president, Carlos Mazón, resigned after enduring months of political and public backlash over his handling of the 2024 floods that killed more than 200 people.
“I can’t go on anymore,” Mazón said in an emotional address at the Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana, the seat of the regional government. The conservative leader acknowledged mistakes and delays in the regional response but also accused Spain’s central government of failing to provide adequate emergency aid.
“I hope that when the noise dies down a bit, society will be able to distinguish between a man who made mistakes and a bad person,” Mazón said, according to comments published by El País and Reuters.
The October 2024 floods, triggered by record-breaking rainfall across eastern Spain, devastated Valencia and Alicante provinces, sweeping away homes and vehicles, submerging towns, and leaving more than 200 dead and hundreds injured. Entire coastal neighborhoods were evacuated amid rising waters and collapsed infrastructure.
Meteorologists later described the disaster as Spain’s most lethal flood event in over a century. The government declared several provinces disaster zones, but local officials faced heavy criticism for slow rescue coordination and inadequate early-warning systems.
POLITICAL FALLOUT
Mazón, who led the Valencian People’s Party (PP) government, faced weeks of protests from survivors and victims’ families demanding accountability. Opposition lawmakers accused his administration of prioritizing political image management over relief efforts.
While resigning, Mazón also lashed out at Madrid’s Socialist-led government for “turning its back on Valencia”, claiming the region was left to “face the catastrophe alone.”
His resignation came as a platform representing flood victims called for fresh demonstrations this week, demanding justice and long-term support for reconstruction. Journalists and witnesses are expected to testify in an ongoing judicial inquiry into possible official misconduct during the crisis.
Local Catholic leaders in Valencia have called for “prayers, honesty, and solidarity” with those affected.
Archbishop Enrique Benavent said churches would continue to assist families still struggling to rebuild, urging authorities to ensure “truth and justice accompany every act of recovery.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
The administration of Donald Trump has informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it remains committed to securing the return of the final deceased Israeli hostage and to disarming Hamas, but will not make either a precondition for launching phase two of its Gaza peace plan, according to a Times of Israel exclusive.
Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a sweeping presidential memorandum directing the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including 31 entities tied to the United Nations, in a major escalation of his “America First” agenda.
Fire safety inspections had not been carried out for several years at the Swiss mountain bar where a New Year’s party blaze killed 40 people and injured at least 116 others, local authorities confirmed Wednesday, as investigators widened a criminal probe into the tragedy.
The United States on Wednesday signaled to Russia and other powers that it intends to assert control over Venezuela and its oil sector by seizing two sanctioned tankers and unveiling a plan to channel Venezuelan crude sales through U.S.-approved mechanisms.
Russia and the United States edged closer to confrontation after U.S. forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, prompting sharp protests from Moscow and assertive statements from senior U.S. officials.
Questions have been raised about Italian security arrangements after pro-Palestinian protesters physically blocked passengers from boarding a flight to Tel Aviv at Milan’s main airport, forming a human barrier at the gate and delaying the departure for more than two hours.
New Year celebrations for Pakistan’s Christian minority have been overshadowed by the killing of a Christian father of three, the vandalism of a church, and renewed fears that strict Islamic blasphemy laws could fuel further violence against religious minorities.