Weekender Alicante North Issue 109

6 FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2019
www.weekender.news
Continued from page one
“It’s not a nice place to be
in. You feel embarrassed to
take the kindness of these
extremely kind and charitable
people. The public
out there are incredible.
The kindness and generosity
is overwhelming, helping
us out.”
Richard met a guy only
once, who was on his holidays
and going back to the
UK last Sunday, who just
handed over his key to his
apartment and said ‘there
you go use it for as long as
you want. There is food in
the fridge, even some booze,
help yourself you and the
dogs are welcome!’
“A roof over our heads as
literally we have nothing. A
little bit of money we had in
the safe. We grabbed it along
with our passports and the
clothes on our back.”
“I work from home, so the
computers are the hub of
my IT business. We lost all
of our personnel belongings,
wedding rings, documents,
my wife’s car and my bike,
which I use a lot as I’m a
keen cyclist, it’s all gone!”
Leaving their cats behind,
Richard and Liesl had no
choice when they were evacuated.
The cats had run off
to hide. Richard explained:
“We had no time to search
for them. Our own safety
was paramount.”
There is now a river running across
where the couple’s
house used to be!
A Go-fund me page was
set up at www.gofundme.
com/f/getting-rich-andliesl-back-on-their-feet
The couple are insured
but have no idea how long
it takes to get the claim
processed and paid out here
in Spain.
The house was a 100-yearold
Spanish farm house,
constructed of stone walls,
around 4ft wide, strong
solid walls. This was not
some flimsy shack or timber
framed plot.
According to the local eye
witnesses, the river broke
its bank. It’s a very deep
river of over 20 metres. The
retaining wall gave up and
some 50 gallons of water per
second spilled out. It ripped
half of the neighbour’s house
down and washed away the
Cavenders house, and anything
else that was left in
its path.
Seven dead and thousands
displaced as ferocious flooding
decimates Costa Blanca
IT is the early hours of Friday
the 13th, skies fill with
intense blue white light
and the monstrous black
pendulous clouds break
open to the intense crash
of thunder.
You would be forgiven for
believing this is the opening
scene of the latest John
Carpenter blockbuster. Yet
this was a horror scene in
reality. One which has taken
the ultimate price. As the
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storm was approaching, I,
as many seasoned "Ex-pats",
prepared myself, my family
and my house, for the worst.
But our fears became the reality
for many of the Costa
Blanca finest.
The Murcian Government
declared a red alert and
closed schools across the entire
area on Wednesday 11th
September, and with very
good cause as South Eastern
Spain hosted the largest
storm it has seen in nearly
150 years.
Some areas recorded record
levels of rainfall, torrential
downpours, filling rivers
to burst. The banks split
open, as thousands were
evacuated with only minutes
to spare, before cars gardens
and even houses were
washed away to nothing.
Thousands forced from
their homes as 300,000
hectares of farm lands
were decimated.
The military were called
into the Vega Baja area to
evacuate and save people
trapped inside their vehicles,
businesses and homes.
Over the course of the 24
hours of Friday 13th September,
houses were literally
washed from their
foundations, thousands of
cars floated along rivers of
muddy water, flood waters
trapped people on the top
floor of houses with no electricity
or communications,
as the Government of Murcia
saw its lands turned into
a disaster zone.
It was the 'most devastating
storm since 1879, when
flooding killed over 1,000 in
Murcia and Orihuela,'
Six lives have been
claimed by the 'Gota Fria,'
officially known as an 'upper-level
isolated depression'
or 'DANA.'
On the AP7 motorway
to Orihuela, cars lined the
sides of the roads, on end,
overturned, in something
which would not be out of
place in a warzone. Hundreds
of vehicles, in a long
line of destruction.
The tunnel section of the
AP7 motorway, passing
through Pilar De La Horadada,
filled with flood waters,
to the point where little more
than ducks may have passed
through. And still now, as
you read this, the water still
has not dissipated.
The Bull rings were filled
with water to the brim, creating
giant reservoirs of
muddy waters.
Tornadoes ravished lands
and danced across the
seas. One tornado pushing
through the centre of Guadamar
Del Segura, and even
tore through a school, leaving
destruction in its wake.
Six people have lost their
lives and to them we dedicate
the clean-up and rebuilding
of the Costa Blanca. To
those six and their families,
we will rebuild and make a
stronger Costa Blanca.
So far, the Costa Blanca
has responded in great fashion.
We have proven that together
we stand.
Having proudly contributed
to many charity
events over the last 5 years,
I have seen many appeal
efforts and I can tell you,
in just five days, this has
been monumental.
Immediately, Big FM's
general Manager, Richard
Sparks, began an appeal
across both Radio Stations,
Big FM and Big Radio Spain,
asking people to bring donations
to one of the drop off
points, in association with
Rojales Town Hall and the Social
Services. Within 12 hours
of the appeal, five truck loads
had been filled and delivered
to the people who most
desperately needed it.
1,500 Euros in cash had
been donated, along with
masses of clothes, food, blankets,
toiletries and necessary
tools, to begin the cleanup.
But that was only the
beginning. This flow of help
has only continued and will
continue, through the generosity,
human nature and
community spirit, as more
help continues to be brought
every day.
The Emerald Isle, Urbanización
La Florida, Dehesa de
Campoamor, Alicante, held a
charity day on Tuesday 17th
September and raised 3,700
Euros, with Help from Home
Playa Flamenca.
On Sunday 22nd, Villamartin
Plaza will hold a
massive charity day, with
Help Vega Baja, with some
huge acts, including Abba
Elite, The New Jersey Boys
Costa Blanca, and much,
much more. So far, on the
Villamartin GoFundMe
page, for the relief fund, they
have already raised nearly
5,000 Euros.
On September 23rd, there
will be an event at Flannigans,
Entre Naranjos, 12pm
until 6pm, including Al Joel,
David John Williams, Jady
Jazz and Shannon Campbell.
Also 30th September, at
La Union, La Marquesa,
12pm until 6pm, an event
including Andy Jones, Jo
Jo, Graeme Alexander
as Bowie, Debbie H and
Dean Alexander.
The struggle is real, but
together the Costa Blanca
is proving its metal. United
we stand, together we
will achieve.