The 'desperate' aftermath of Spain's deadliest floods in living memory

A former Manchester Evening News journalist now living in Spain has described the 'desperate' aftermath of deadly flash floods that have killed at least 205 people.

On Tuesday catastrophic floods coursed across parts of the country, sweeping away bridges, homes, cars and streetlights. The number of missing people remains unknown following the deadliest floods in Spain's modern history.

Lucy Lovell lives in the old town in centre of Valencia, the worst hit region, with her partner and their two children. The 36-year-old, who now works as a travel writer, said: "In the city centre everything is fairly normal. There are still people out on the terraces drinking coffee.

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"But as soon as you cross the bridge to the south side it's just horrific. People have lost their homes, lost loved ones.

"People are just in shock. Yesterday I wanted to check on some friends who live in La Torre (a district to the south of the city centre). It was desperate.

"There weren't many people about. They weren't many authorities that I could see, it was mostly residents cleaning their houses out and getting to grips with what had happened."

Many streets are still blocked by piled-up vehicles and debris, in some cases trapping residents in their homes. Some places still do not have electricity, running water or stable telephone connections.

The security forces and soldiers are searching for missing people, many feared to still be trapped in wrecked vehicles or flooded garages. And authorities are repeatedly warning more storms are expected. The Spanish weather agency issued alerts for strong rains in Tarragona, Catalonia, and part of the Balearic Islands.

But Lucy said the initial shock now appeared to be giving way to anger, frustration and a wave of solidarity. She added: "Today I went down again and took some food and there were thousands of people.

"So many people had come out to help. There were people carrying as much as they could - buckets, food, brushes, young people, old people, just everybody trying to help.

"I think people have been reeling from what happened, then today it was 'No, we need to help'. People have been upset about the warnings we were given - I got a red warning on my phone on Tuesday, but there were no instructions or details - so I think there's been a reaction to that.

"The authorities are doing a lot, but there is so much more that needs to be done. I think a lot of people have felt isolated since the floods, so to see people coming down with brushes, pitching in was heart-warming. It just highlights how unprepared we are for these kinds of catastrophes."

Juan Ramon Adsuara, the mayor of Alfafar, one of the hardest hit towns, said the aid is not nearly enough for residents trapped in an 'extreme situation'. He told reporters: "There are people living with corpses at home. It's very sad. We are organising ourselves, but we are running out of everything.

"We go with vans to Valencia, we buy and we come back, but here we are totally forgotten."

Rushing water turned narrow streets into death traps and spawned rivers that tore through homes and businesses, leaving many uninhabitable. Social networks have channelled the needs of those affected.

Some posted images of missing people in the hope of getting information about their whereabouts, while others launched initiatives such as Suport Mutu, or Mutual Support, which connects requests for help with people who are offering it. Others organised collections of basic goods throughout the country or launched fundraisers.

Spain's Mediterranean coast is used to autumn storms that can cause flooding, but this was the most powerful flash flooding in recent memory. Scientists link it to climate change, which is also behind increasingly high temperatures and droughts in Spain and the heating up of the Mediterranean Sea.