Carlos Mazon steps down following a year of intense public fury over a 12-hour delay in emergency alerts and his decision to attend a tourism event as the catastrophe unfolded.
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| Mazon resigned a year after the Valencia floods, Spain's deadliest natural disaster in a generation (Jose JORDAN/AFP/AFP) |
MADRID, Spain – The heavily criticised leader of Spain's Valencia region, Carlos Mazon, announced his resignation on Monday, succumbing to a year of immense public pressure following the country's deadliest natural disaster in a generation.
The October 29, 2024, floods killed more than 230 people, swept away 130,000 vehicles, and devastated thousands of homes. For the past twelve months, Mazon has been the face of the alleged government failure that critics say turned a natural disaster into a human catastrophe.
"The reality is that today I am the focus of criticism, noise, hatred and tension," a defeated Mazon said in a televised address. "I can't go on any more."
Mazon, who will remain as a lawmaker in the regional parliament, is expected to be replaced by another member of his conservative Popular Party (PP). His resignation comes just days after he was met with furious protests at a state memorial service for the victims.
Last week, relatives of the dead shouted "murderer," "coward," and "get out" at Mazon as he arrived in the regional capital, also named Valencia.
A 12-Hour Delay and a "Sustainable Tourism" Lunch
Mazon's leadership has been under fierce scrutiny for his handling of the crisis, particularly his administration's catastrophic delay in warning the public.
Under Spain's decentralized system, Mazon's regional government was primarily responsible for the emergency response. However, it sent an alert to residents' mobile phones telling them to shelter in place after flooding had already begun in many areas.
Crucially, the regional alert came more than 12 hours after the national weather agency had issued its highest possible alert level for torrential, "once-in-a-century" rains.
Critics and victims' families allege this delay cost countless lives. Residents told Spanish media that by the time the alert chimed on their phones, muddy flood water was already surrounding their cars and pouring into their homes. One resident of Paiporta, one of the worst-hit towns, told local television the alert came while he was stranded in a tree with bodies floating past.
Compounding the fury, Mazon did not change his personal schedule as the disaster unfolded. He went ahead with a lengthy lunch with a journalist and was later pictured in photos tweeted by his staff attending an event on Valencia's sustainable tourism strategy, all while water was surging through his constituents' homes.
"I Made Mistakes... I Will Live With Them All My Life"
In his resignation speech, Mazon finally conceded his personal failings on the day of the disaster, which he had previously deflected.
"I should have had the political vision" to cancel his appointments and visit the affected areas, he said on Monday.
"I know I made mistakes. I acknowledge them and I will live with them all my life," he added. "I have asked for forgiveness and today I repeat it. But none ofS them were due to political calculation or bad faith."
This apology follows a year of Mazon, whose conservative PP is in opposition to the national Socialist-led government, attempting to blame the national government for not providing his administration with enough information to act sooner.
"The Families Made Him Resign"
Mazon's resignation was not a surprise, but the culmination of relentless public pressure.
Campaigners have staged regular, massive protests, often on the monthly anniversaries of the disaster. On October 25, more than 50,000 people took to the streets of Valencia, many carrying photos of their deceased family members, demanding he step down.
His position had become politically untenable. An opinion poll published last month in the El Pais newspaper found that 71 percent of Valencia residents believed Mazon should resign. Analysts noted he had become a severe political burden to his national party leader, Alberto Nunez Feijoo.
Rosa Alvarez, who heads an association representing the flood victims, credited the power of the people for the resignation.
"His party didn't make him resign," she told news radio SER. "It was the families of the victims and all the people who have supported us... who made him resign."
Alvarez's 80-year-old father died after the walls of his home in the town of Catarroja were knocked down by the raging torrent, which hit 78 municipalities and generated 800,000 tonnes of debris.