The Spanish Red Cross has recognized the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) by expressing its gratitude for the financial support, implication, and commitment by the university community towards victims of last year’s extreme storms and flash flooding. UMH Vice Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation, Vicente Micol Molina, received this distinction at a ceremony at the headquarters of the Business Confederation of the Valencian Community (CEV). UMH honorary rector and coordinator of the agreement between the Red Cross and Valencian Public Universities, Jesús Rodríguez Marín, was also present at the ceremony.

So far, the Red Cross has received donations from more than 4,500 businesses, foundations, and civil entities (478 of them from the Valencian Community), and these include the UMH. Thanks to these donations, a three-year response plan has been formulated to aid recovery in the 68 towns affected by the flooding. The Red Cross expressed its gratitude to the organizations and businesses for their trust in it for channeling financial and material donations to aid those affected by the flash flooding, which in October 2024 devastated the Province of Valencia and other communities in Spain. The Red Cross also thanked the CEV, the Association of Self-Employed Workers of the Valencian Community (ATA), the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs (AVE), and the Confederation of Cooperatives of the Valencian Community (Concoval). These organizations represent a significant portion of the Valencian business community and they have all contributed to the Red Cross’s three-year response plan.

Rafael Gandía, regional president of the Red Cross, explains: “Thanks to donations from many civil society organizations and businesses gathered here today, the Red Cross was able to launch a three-year response plan to mitigate the effects of the storm, significantly increasing our funding and capabilities beginning the very first days following the tragedy. These donations, both financial and in-kind, enabled us to deliver the needed emergency aid right then, and now, in a second phase, to contribute directly to the recovery of both people as well as the businesses affected, in such a way that they can rebuild their lives and restore their livelihoods as much as possible.”

Since the launch of the response plan, the Red Cross has received more than 115 million euros in donations. Of these, 58.7 have come from businesses, foundations, and civil society entities. Thanks to these donations, the Red Cross has provided financial aid to more than 22,300 families, and has aided in the reopening of more than 2,800 businesses that requested access to this aid, among many other actions. Likewise, more than 5,000 people have been able to recover their livelihoods, and close to 8,600 have been indirectly helped by the donations to businesses in 25 locations around the Province of Valencia.

Some of the individuals who requested assistance to relaunch their businesses also requested direct financial aid that the Red Cross was offering to flooding victims whose homes were devastated. These individuals needed to replace essential household items, including furniture, appliances, and other basics to help normalize their lives. To provide this support, the Red Cross, in conjunction with local governments, the Generalitat Valenciana, and Caixa Popular bank, launched a system to distribute prepaid debit cards to the victims. The average value of these cards was 1,200 euros and subject to specific vulnerability criteria. These cards could be used as their owners pleased, so they could prioritize their most basic needs.

With the donations received following the emergency call, in recent months the Red Cross has begun implementing its three-year response plan. It aims to contribute to the recovery, to build up resilience, plus physical, emotional, and social well-being of the people and communities affected throughout this set period of time.

These resources are enabling the Red Cross to contribute to an efficient recovery that goes beyond the material aid that is usually provided immediately after emergencies. Likewise, this organization is also striving to strengthen and stimulate commerce, the local economy, and aid in restoring the Valencian economy as quickly as possible to levels prior to the torrential rainfall and flash flooding.