An image of the floods in Valencia from the Landsat 8 satellite, taken on October 30th.

Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory

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Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory

Satellite images show a devastating change in eastern Spain, where catastrophic flash floods have killed more than 200 people and upended entire cities.

NASA Earth Observatory captured the image with its Landsat 8 satellite a day after the historic downpour. It showed parts of the eastern Valencia province inundated by floods. Meanwhile, the Turia river channel and L’Albufera coastal wetlands were filled with the sediment-rich flood.

An image of Valencia, Spain, on October 25, 2022, captured by NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite.

Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory

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Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory

The flood was one of the deadliest weather events in modern Spanish history. Climate scientists see a clear link between the flash flood and human-caused global warming, adding that climate change has made this week’s rains heavier and twice as likely.

Across Valencia, areas received more than 11 inches of rain. One area that was particularly hard hit was the town of Chiva, near Valencia, where nearly 20 inches accumulated in eight hours, according to Spain’s weather agency – the equivalent of what normally occurs in an entire year.

Rescue teams are still searching for dozens of missing people, but their efforts and recovery efforts are hampered by the debris left behind by the flood. Photos and videos from Valencia show cars stacked on top of each other, streets filled with rubble and people’s belongings covered in brown mud.

Maria Isabel Albalat, the mayor of one of the affected towns, Paiporta, said many roads were still blocked, preventing rescuers from fully reaching her town. She added that when they gain access to a location where a person has been reported dead, they end up discovering three or four bodies.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government would send 5,000 more soldiers and 5,000 additional police to the region. Meanwhile, local authorities are being criticized for not reacting sooner.

There were some warnings to Valencia residents in the days leading up to the storm, but the direct warning on people’s cell phones – which usually comes from the Valencia regional government – came just after 8 p.m. on the night of the flash floods. At this time, flooding had risen to 6 feet in some areas. The phone alert also occurred during rush hour in Spain, when most people were on their way home.