A year after the torrential rains that devastated the Valencian Community on October 29, 2024, the Society of Jesus continues to maintain an active support network that was born during the emergency and today continues to sustain processes of social, educational, and spiritual reconstruction. The emergency response brought together Centro Arrupe, Escuelas San José, Entreculturas, and Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes (SJM) Valencia – with the support of Sector Social (Jesuitas Social), Educsi, and Alboan – and was deployed in 17 municipalities, prioritizing the most vulnerable people and areas.

The Jesuit Abel Toraño, delegate of the Mediterranean Apostolic Platform, sums up the early days candidly: “We had to admit it: at first, we didn’t know what to do, but we did know two things: we had to show as much closeness as possible to so many people who were suffering, and we had to join forces to convey our solidarity: all together as one.” That intuition turned into a broad movement of aid that involved organizations, communities, and citizens. “We got moving. It wasn’t easy, but it was possible”, he recalls.

In the initial phase, basic needs were covered and temporary shelter was organized: 29 families with damaged homes were hosted or rehoused; 690 people received food support and 520 received clothing and hygiene kits. Five vehicles were made available to families in acute need, and 10 water pumps were deployed to evacuate water in municipalities such as Paiporta and Catarroja. In addition, the Casa de Ejercicios “La Purísima” (Alaquàs) provided shelter to 206 displaced people, and the Cáritas Paiporta premises were fully rehabilitated to resume service to around 1,000 families.

At the same time, Escuelas San José and Centro Arrupe became logistics hubs for supplies and provisional classrooms for affected students, while vigils and prayer gatherings offered space to “pause and rekindle our desire for hope.” The retreat house welcomed volunteer groups from all over Spain; in Paiporta, the reconstruction of Caritas premises and a youth work camp at Christmas were promoted. The SJM launched a hospitality campaign for affected migrants, and Entreculturas organized training sessions and neighbourhood support networks.

Education, citizenship, and psychosocial care

The educational community played a decisive role: materials were distributed to more than 70 schools; 300 students from the Vedat de Torrent school were welcomed for 10 days; and the “Espai Xarxa: La solidaritat ens dona un respir” program (Space Network: Solidarity gives us breathing space) supported 530 young people and educators, for emotional expression and collective rebuilding. Complementary initiatives – such as the Itinerant Espai Xarxa, a talk by José María Rodríguez Olaizola, SJ, a Christmas work camp with 40 youth, three solidarity runs with nearly 500 participants, and awareness actions (Agenda 2030, Sustainable Development Goals, climate change) – reached 5,000 people.

SJM Valencia provided temporary accommodation at the Hogar Jesús-María for 35 displaced migrants; offered legal counselling to approximately 75 people; and provided psychological support to 18 women and 6 minors. It also reactivated job-placement pathways and organized information sessions in neighbourhoods such as Alfafar, Paiporta, and Benetússer (reaching 200 people) to facilitate access to rights and essential services.

A community that endures

Joint efforts by Jesuit works and local residents in Paiporta have grown into a community network that now supports more than 200 families with food, administrative help, listening groups, mobility, and other services. In total, the first year’s actions directly served 3,434 people and involved 7,661 more in awareness activities, volunteering, and spiritual accompaniment.

Reconstruction, Toraño stresses, will be a marathon, not a sprint: “A year has passed, but the mark left by the flood remains. Estimates suggest it will take another two or three years.” Along the way, hope is both compass and method: “It is horizon and commitment... and, at the same time, perseverance in the work.” His most striking image lingers: “the hope that pulls us out of the mud is the same hope that takes us into the mud.”

Reconstruction – as the first-year review reminds us – “does not end when the walls are rebuilt, but when people regain their confidence, their place, and their voice”. The mud has dried, but solidarity remains.