La DANA de Valencia de octubre de 2024: los 12 días del estado de emergencia en la provincia de Valencia (España)

Abstract

On October the 29th of 2024, the province of Valencia suffered one of the most devastating events because of the DANA meteorological phenomenon that destroyed several towns in L’Horta Sud. For a period of 12 days, the state of emergency was decreed and the forensic doctors of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Valencia, together with the rest of the professionals, actively participated in the tasks of removing bodies, identifying and delivering bodies to relatives in a totally exceptional situation.

Perfect teamwork, Head of Justice, forensic doctors, officials of Management and Processing Assistance Corps, Physicians, laboratory assistants and technicians, autopsy assistants, psychologists, social workers, Legal Medicine residents, funeral company workers, cleaning workers, City of Justice cafeteria service, National Police, Civil Guard, Military Emergency Unit and informatic workers.

The physical and mental over exertion of all who participated under the orders of the Director of the Institute of Legal Medicine resulted in an exquisite work where values beyond the purely professional emerged. After 12 days of intense work, almost 200 victims of the catastrophe were fully identified and 200 families partially comforted and consoled. That’s the real meaning of our work.