The DANA Floods in Valencia, Spain: The Formation and Representation of Disaster Communities in the Current Media Landscape Open Access
Williams, Ruthie (Spring 2026)
Abstract
On the rainy morning of October 29, 2024, life in Valencia, Spain seemed normal. By the evening of that day, the region was experiencing disastrous flooding that killed several hundred people and racked up billions of dollars in property damage that the region is still struggling to repair more than a year later. The so-called “DANA,” or Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos (Isolated Depression at High Altitudes), also caused psychological damage to people of the region. More than a year later, Valencia residents are still traumatized by the events of that day. People continue to be scared whenever it rains.
The DANA storms were a disaster shaped by many different dimensions. The region ignored a history of flooding and failed to plan for the increasing intensity of storms caused by global warming. Local and national government officials were slow to warn people on the day of the storm and then respond to its devastating impacts. In addition, the traditional media sources did not seem to grasp the devastating impact the DANA had on the people living through it.
This thesis seeks to understand how the DANA floods happened and how and why the residents of Valencia (and the broader population of Spain) responded the way they did. Central to this study is the concept of “disaster communities,” which posits that shared traumatic experiences generate new forms of collective organization that play a crucial role in recovery. Drawing on historical analysis (Chapter 1) to contextualize what happened on the day of the DANA (Chapter 2), media discourse in local and national newspapers (Chapter 3), and interviews with affected residents (Chapter 4), this thesis argues that disaster communities in Valencia emerged not through institutional coordination or traditional media narratives, but through grassroots, digitally mediated networks grounded in mutual aid and shared experience.
My analysis reveals a clear disjunction between lived experience and its representation: while local and national media largely focused on political blame and institutional failure, residents relied on hyperlocal communication channels—such as WhatsApp and social media—to organize, share information, and support one another. In this context, disaster communities developed outside, and often in opposition to, traditional structures of authority and representation. This study ultimately examines how digital media has become central to the formation of disaster communities at a moment when trust in traditional media continues to erode.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Historical Background: Why Valencia is Prone to Flooding ... 1
Chapter 2. Day of the DANA: Flash Floods Devastation and the Mediated Response ... 12
Immediate Aftermath ... 15
Chapter 3. Editorializing the DANA: Local and National Perspectives ... 19
Regional Media ... 21
National Media ... 27
Chapter 4. Interviews with the Victims ... 37
Government Response ... 38
Ongoing Community Recovery ... 42
Volunteer Support ... 44
Valencia Flooding History ... 46
Media coverage ... 48
Climate Change ... 50
Chapter 5. Conclusion ... 53
Appendix: Semi-structured Questionnaire for Interviews ... 57
Works Cited ... 59
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