Flood survivors say regional Spanish officials waited too long to warn them of the danger

Associated Press

BARRIO DE LA TORRE, Spain (AP) — Moments after rushing waters burst through the door to her home, Mari Carmen Pérez received a text message alert from regional Spanish authorities warning her of the possibility of flash floods. But by the time Pérez’s phone buzzed, the water had already gushed into her kitchen, living room and bathroom, forcing her and her family to flee upstairs. She was one of the lucky ones. More than 150 people died, many caught in their cars or inside the lower stories of their homes, when storm-fed riverbeds burst their banks and swept through communities on the southern outskirts of Valencia city.