Peterborough family caught in Valencia flash floods speak of surviving a "week from Hell"

The Werrington family caught in the flash floods in Spain have reported they are now safe – after surviving what they called “a week from Hell”

Diana Whitwell shared her horrifying experience with the Peterborough Telegraph last week after three generations of her family were hit by flood waters rushing in to their Valencia villa.

What followed was a nightmarish journey through devastated areas and partially collapsed roads in an attempt to escape the area.

This resulted in the family, which included Diana’s husband, two daughters and four grandchildren, being stuck for several hours on Spanish highways – surrounded by scenes of devastation and vehicles swallowed by mud and debris.

Diana said her daughters and grandchildren arrived home yesterday (Wednesday). "I cried when we dropped them off at the airport,” she said. “It’s been a week from Hell for them. Nowhere to take them at all due to roads collapsed and closed.”

Spanish authorities now say more than 200 people are thought to have died in the disaster – but with bodies still being recovered, and many reported as missing, the true number is expected to be much higher.

Diana went on: "The scenes on the motorway were still not for the eyes of the children – with tons of debris, cars and HGVs still piled up, some upside down and on top of each other. In what has been a dry river bed for over 10 years is now a deep field of wet mud/clay with parts of cars sticking out in all positions.

"It’s devastating and there are still so many missing.”

The family had been visiting the country for a holiday – with the torrential rain and flash floods occurring not long after they arrived.

With nowhere else to go, Diana and her husband eventually made it back to their private villa – which escaped the worst damage from the flood water due to being located on a hill. Others in the neighbourhood were not do lucky, with damaged masonry leaving many properties completely ruined.

Speaking about her grandchildren, Diana added: “They were looking so forward to it, it breaks my heart as they’ve had to stay in the whole trip except when we were trying to get food. I’m just glad they are home.”

Diana and her husband are hoping to fly home in the next few days.