Valencia floods: Human tragedy and environmental disaster With at least 222 people dead, the torrential rain and floods in Valencia – on the eastern coast of Spain – have devastated many families and the cleanup of the region continues, more than a month after the disaster struck. But until now, there has been little focus on the devastating effect of the floods on the environment. The water carried kilograms of fragments of plastic, medicines and other toxic materials into the protected nature reserve of Albufera. The regional government has announced a cleanup operation. Sarah Morris and Armelle Exposito report.