Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised government funding and faster recovery procedures for communities struck by Storm Adam, after torrential rain left four people dead and triggered hundreds of rescues in the Valencia region.
Speaking during a visit to the emergency command centre in Oliva on Tuesday, Sánchez said the Cabinet would approve formal disaster status for all affected municipalities in the coming weeks. The designation – officially recognising areas seriously affected by a civil protection emergency – would support the recovery effort. ALSO READ: Four dead as storm Adam brings severe floods and rooftop rescues to eastern Spain.
‘We will provide financial resources and speed up public procurement so that normality can be restored as soon as possible,’ he said.
The storm, associated with the weather phenomenon known in Spain as a DANA, led the regional government to order residents in as many as 145 municipalities across Valencia and Alicante to remain indoors.
Sánchez visited the command centre alongside Valencian regional president Juanfran Pérez Llorca. Residents gathered for his arrival greeted him with a mixture of applause and boos.
Cooperation beyond the immediate emergency
Offering his condolences to the families of those who died, Sánchez praised cooperation between the national and regional authorities. He stressed that Spain’s civil protection system brings together several services, saying: ‘Ultimately, we are all in this together.’
He also called for a broad national agreement on the climate emergency, arguing that cooperation must extend beyond the response to individual disasters. ALSO READ: Spain calls for EU climate adaptation fund and binding targets as extreme weather costs soar.
‘Together, we must make an effort that allows us to strengthen that cooperation, not only when the emergency happens but also before and afterwards, to mitigate and adapt to a different climate reality,’ he said. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez visits wildfire-hit Galicia and pledges ‘national pact’ to address climate emergency.
Sánchez described the proposed agreement as ‘pure common sense’ and said it ‘would save lives’. ALSO READ: PP and Vox reject Sánchez’s national climate pact as prime minister defends government’s record.
Regional leader urges joint effort on reconstruction
Pérez Llorca said the same cooperation would now be needed to rebuild damaged communities, warning that the authorities’ work was far from over.
‘We have demonstrated coordination in managing the emergency, but it is not over: now comes the reconstruction phase, when I believe it is very important that we demonstrate coordination,’ he said.
The regional president, who also expressed condolences to the bereaved families, said warnings on this occasion had been issued sufficiently early. Click here for all our reports related to the Valencia Floods of October 2024.
‘This time, warnings were given in good time,’ he said, adding that the response ‘allowed us all to coordinate better and take preventive action’.
He called on all levels of government to help accelerate recovery and highlighted the importance of clearing riverbeds and ravines. Plans to improve drainage through water infrastructure works would also be needed, he said.
Addressing residents who had lost their homes or possessions, Pérez Llorca promised continued support.
‘They will not be alone. We will rise to the challenge and work to restore normality as soon as possible.’
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La coordinación entre todas las administraciones es clave para atender a las personas afectadas por la DANA. La prioridad son las personas, la reconstrucción, la reparación de los daños y las infraestructuras para prevenir los efectos de futuros temporales. https://t.co/XWZcJYo1FA
— JuanFran Pérez Llorca (@JFPerezLlorca) October 20, 2026
La coordinación salva vidas, la anticipación reduce riesgos y la colaboración institucional es la mejor garantía para responder ante quienes más nos necesitan, como se ha demostrado estos días en la Comunitat Valenciana. Urge un gran acuerdo de país para reforzar la cooperación, antes y después de las situaciones de crisis climática. Mi cariño y mi pésame para las familias de las víctimas, y nuestro compromiso con todos los vecinos de la zona. Os apoyaremos en la reconstrucción.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) October 20, 2026
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