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Recovering from Valencia's Floods with Resilience and Solidarity

Michel Bergeron, Head of Premises, United Nations Information and Communications Technology Facility, Global Service Centre (UNICTF-UNGSC), reflects on the profound impact of the devastating floods in Valencia on 29 October, sharing how personnel at UNITCF responded to the crisis while also supporting the local community through relief efforts.

You have likely seen images of the devastating floods unleashed across the region of Valencia on 29 October, causing immense damage. Within hours, homes were submerged, roads were cut off, and communities were left struggling to find safety amid the rising waters. 

Our base in Valencia, the United Nations Information and Communications Technology Facility, was hit hard. The flooding breached our facilities, threatening critical infrastructure.

Thanks to our Disaster Recovery preparedness, we were able to quickly redirect systems to our sister site in Brindisi, Italy, ensuring the continuity of critical communications and support functions for UN operations worldwide, even as Valencia grappled with the ongoing crisis.

In the days that followed, our focus shifted from just recovering our own systems to our neighboring communities.

This seamless transfer was no small feat, requiring round-the-clock work by our dedicated staff. 

Volunteers from our teams joined local relief efforts, helping to clear mud and debris in nearby villages, salvage damaged belongings, and deliver essential supplies to those in need.

Thousands of people from across Valencia mobilized, often traveling from unaffected areas to lend a hand and restore a sense of humanity and dignity to the affected communities.

The spirit of cooperation that I have witnessed is humbling.

As Head of Premises of UNICTF and a proud member of the UN family, I want to acknowledge the resilience and solidarity of our personnel, who stepped up to safeguard our mission-critical operations and, more importantly, came together to support one another and the broader community.

My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who played a role in these efforts.

In the coming weeks, the people of Valencia will continue to rebuild. Children will return to their classrooms and businesses will reopen their doors. While the scars of this tragedy may remain, so too will the memory of our shared humanity.