At least 218 have been confirmed dead after a deluge caused by heavy rains late on Oct. 29 and the next morning swamped entire communities, mostly in Spain's Valencia region, catching most off guard. Regional authorities have been heavily criticized for having issued alerts to mobile phones some two hours after the disaster had started.

The number only corresponds to the eastern Valencia region, where 211 of the 217 confirmed deaths took place when entire communities were swamped by tsunami-like floods on Oct. 29

The gargantuan recovery efforts in dozens of communities slowly moved forward. The prime minister said he'll ask for financial help from the European Union.

At least 218 have been confirmed dead after heavy rains starting late on Oct. 29 swamped entire communities, mostly in Valencia region.

Francisco Murgui went out to try to salvage his motorbike when the water started to rise. He never came back. One week after