The water was already knee-high on the ground floor of the hotel where Aitana Puchal had taken refugee when she received a text alert from the regional government of Valencia at 8 pm on Oct. 29 warning people to shelter in place from severe flash floods.

Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday in Valencia and other Spanish cities to voice their anger at the authorities' handling of deadly floods.

Something like this has not happened in Cadaques for many, many years.” Local media has reported that the intensity of the downpour has eased, however the dramatic incident comes as communities in Valencia continue mopping up after at least 219 people died in flash flooding in the worst event of its kind in decades.