Post-disaster relief and reconstruction efforts are underway in the Valencian region of Spain after the region was devastated by deadly flash floods triggered by unrelenting rainfall over the past few days.
The death toll has now soared to 205 from the initial 12 on Wednesday, with 202 fatalities reported in the region of Valencia, two in Castilla-La Mancha and one in Andalusia, according to the Center for Coordinated and Integrated Operations
A school in Requena, a small town less affected by the disaster thanks to its high elevation, has been converted into a temporary shelter for the displaced from nearby towns, with medical equipment provided to help people afflicted by floods.
The disrupted telecommunication service in the aftermath of the floods has made the relief efforts more difficult, according to Rocio, town mayor of Requena.
"Many people have relatives in the towns around Valencia. And they don't know what's going on with their families because we can't get in touch with anyone there. There's no internet or phone. Some areas are very far from the center of the town, which also makes our rescue work very difficult," said Rocio.
Despite the tough rescue and relief work, some of the swamped streets have been now cleaned up.
The Spanish government has mobilized vehicles to take some of the affected residents back to their homes from the shelter.
Some towns near Requena were severely damaged by the floods, with homes, shops, and restaurants washed away.
According to the report released by local authorities, railway lines in Valencia have been completely destroyed, while many roads and bridges in the region have been demolished, making the post-disaster reconstruction harder.
Residents in the Valencian region, with the help of the local government, are now stepping up efforts to clean up the roads covered by silt.
"This is the situation now. My house has no gas, and we have no water. Now there is no gas at home. We can only tide over the difficulties with our neighbors. Everyone unites and helps each other, and this is the only way we can deal with it," said Marta, a victim of the floods.
In addition, volunteers from all over the country rushed to the region, helping local residents with the cleanup.
"We usually get up at 7 o'clock, and when everyone comes out of the hotel at 8 o 'clock, we start to work. Volunteers disperse from here, and everyone can't stop. We have to go somewhere else to help at any time, and I know there's a lot of work to be done," said Jose, a volunteer.
Post-disaster relief, reconstruction efforts underway in flood-hit Spain
Post-disaster relief, reconstruction efforts underway in flood-hit Spain
China has issued a document of guidelines on promoting the construction of new-type urban infrastructure.
The guidelines, made public on Thursday, was jointly approved by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, and highlights two major goals.
By 2027, significant progress should have been made in the construction of new-type urban infrastructure, providing ever increasing support for the development of resilient cities, while a number of experience and practices that can be copied and expanded should have been established.
By 2030, the construction of new-type urban infrastructure should have achieved remarkable results, to help push forward the building of a group of high-level resilient cities, improve urban safety and resilience, and ensure safer, more orderly, smarter and more efficient urban operations.
To achieve these aims, major tasks must be fulfilled in 11 aspects, including implementing the building and upgrading of intelligent municipal infrastructure, promoting the coordinated development of smart city infrastructure and intelligent connected vehicles, and developing smart residential quarters, according to the guidelines.
In addition, there are other important tasks such as raising the intelligence level of housing and building management, carrying out digital home construction, improving city information modeling platforms, and maintaining cyber and data security.
"Currently, various types of urban disasters and safety accidents are prone to occur frequently. Proposing comprehensive advancement in building resilient cities is an important measure to address the current urban disaster risks. Meanwhile, it is also an important aspect of advancing the modernization of urban governance in our country, with significant implications for implementing the holistic approach to national security and promoting the secure development of cities," said Wang Kai, president of the Chinese Academy of Urban Planning and Design.
Experts said that cities, which serve as the main engine of China's economic and social development and play a primary role in expanding domestic demand, provide the broadest application scenarios and innovation space for new-generation information technologies such as 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and the Industrial Internet.
"The construction of new-type urban infrastructure essentially aims to construct a new-type urban infrastructure system based on digitization, networking, and intelligence. We should firmly grasp the development trends of digitization, networking, and intelligence to enhance the level of intelligence of the entire urban infrastructure, improve our monitoring capabilities, and enhance our risk prevention and control capabilities," said Liang Feng, vice chairman of the Smart City Professional Committee of the Science and Technology Committee under the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
China to step up construction of new-type urban infrastructure
