The network of small access roads, many of them winding through orange groves, leading to the areas closest to the beaches of La Safor (Valencia) ... has been cut off due to storm Adam. Many of these roads, originally agricultural tracks that were tarmacked to serve the housing developments that have sprung up over the years, have been flooded.
Due to storm Adam, on Monday these settlements could only be reached by air, kayak, paddleboard, 4x4 military vehicles or diggers.
Roberto, for example, who has lived through two floods in the town of Oliva, was able to leave his home thanks to a digger.
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"This is nothing like the one in 1987, this is a disaster," the 72-year-old man said, referring to the storm that has ravaged the Spanish Mediterranean. He and his wife, Dolores, were rescued alongside three other families in the area.
"There are kids who are freezing," an operator from the Pavasal company, which has provided a few excavators to rescue residents, said.
"We'll talk later. I'm soaking wet," Roberto told Sur during the first call. It took him a couple of hours to answer the phone again. "I've just gone out to buy some bread. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. We've had a night… my wife and I wrapped up in a blanket, both of us completely soaked and terrified as we watched the water rise," he said.
According to him, the water this time rose 40-50 centimetres higher than during the 1987 flood. Knowing about the 'dana' disaster that hit Valencia in 2024, the most recent incident felt scarier than ever.
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"The water started coming in and we could see the level rising. The furniture and the two fridges I have started to float. One of them hit me on the head," Roberto said. The couple climbed up to their attic, where they stayed "all night".
Every time Roberto saw a helicopter fly past, he would wave his hands, hoping it would be his turn. He even called 112 twice, but nothing happened until the Pavasal excavator turned up. "We're very grateful to the company, which has rescued many people from the area."
Roberto and Dolores are now aware that they are facing some difficult weeks ahead. "I'll have to check what my insurance covers, because to be honest I've never had to use it before," Roberto said.
"We've left everything there. Let's see if the water level goes down so we can go and check how things are. We had the car and the motorbike, which are brand new, and they're been almost completely submerged… we'll see!"
Many families in a similar situation
The story of Roberto and Dolores is one many people in the area share. Some have even had to turn to friends or family to be able to leave their homes.
This was the situation for Sonia and Manolo, who live on the ground floor of a block of flats at the Bellreguard beach with their two young children.
The family spent the early hours of the morning on a landing. Soaked to the skin, shaken and with nowhere to go, until they got in touch with Irma and Neiser, her son, who has a paddleboard.
It was impossible to get in and out using conventional vehicles. The alternative was to set off once the Local Police had informed people that the floodwaters no longer posed a danger. "At least get the two children out," Neiser said.
Meanwhile, another group of young people set up a kayak, offering help to any local residents, like Manolo, who found himself trapped by a series of coincidences. "I came over at the weekend to sort out a couple of things at the holiday home because we're trying to sell it. I decided to stay on Sunday. In fact, I was just sitting here watching football."
The man went to bed. When he got up, Manolo found himself standing in water almost up to his knees. "It wasn't until then that I realised what was happening."
Kristin and her family were in the flooded area after travelling from Germany to spend a holiday by the Mediterranean. "My mum's in a house she's rented. She can't get out, but the thing is, we can't get there either," she said.
She knows her mother is safe, but she is travelling with two children and a dog in the back of the car, and they are all exhausted after so many hours on the road. Their journey has come to a halt in front of one of the flooded areas, where the roads are impassable.
Instead of arriving and relaxing as they had planned, the family now face an unexpected extra expense: "We were supposed to arrive today and have a rest, but now we'll have to find a hotel for the night."
The Oliva multipurpose centre is currently providing shelter to the hundreds of rescuees. At 4pm on Monday, the sun finally peaked through the clouds.
"It was raining in a way I'd never seen before. Water was pouring down from everywhere. We live on the third floor and water seeped through the walls. I don't even want to think about what must have happened to the people who were trapped," one of the evacuees at the centre told Sur.