Toñi García: "Every lie from Mazón hurts us more."

BenetusserToñi García (59 years old), a resident of the Valencian town of Benetússer, lost her husband, Miguel Carpio, and her only daughter, Sara Carpio, on the night of October 29th. Hers is a story full of tears and pain. But it is also an example of courage, that of a person who offers her testimony despite the suffering that telling it entails. A courage that has prompted her to participate in the creation of the DANA Victims Association October 29, 2024 and that she also showed when she denounced the indifference of the former Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce and Tourism Nuria Montes, who, despite working in the same floor of the Administrative City as her headquarters, does not leave for six days.

Four and a half months have passed since the tragedy. Are you feeling any better?

— It continues to hurt me deeply. I miss my daughter [aged 24] and my husband [aged 63] terribly. I feel very alone and, above all, deeply outraged. I am increasingly convinced that the Valencian government's inaction and negligence caused the deaths of all the victims.

How did it happen?

— My husband and I came home from work around 5:15 p.m. [both are civil servants for the Generalitat]. I noticed my daughter was very nervous [by 10:30 a.m. there had already been rescues in the Ribera Alta region, and from 11:00 a.m. onward, flooding in Chiva and at 12:00 p.m. in Utiel]. She asked me if Benetússer could flood, and I told her this was impossible because that's what I'd been led to believe my whole life. I also told her they would warn us today. I had an old cell phone at the time, and I told her and my husband to check their phones to see if the City Council or the Generalitat had said anything, and they told me no. Around 7:15 p.m., my daughter called us to come out onto the balcony, and we saw the brown strip of water. Then, my husband and daughter went downstairs to get the cars out of the garage in case it flooded. At 7:45 p.m., I went down to the garage to get them. But the ground floor was no longer accessible. The water was already 2.5 meters deep, and to access the garage, you have to go down one more floor. It was impossible. I hoped they had gotten out with their cars. During the night, containers, cars, and trucks could be seen floating. We heard three people calling for help; we tried to shine a light on them, but we couldn't see them. We understood they were trapped in a fence at a sports center across the street. They screamed for three hours, from 7:45 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. I don't know what happened to them. The next day, my daughter's boyfriend's family tried to look for the cars, but it was impossible. There was a meter of mud and lines of cars blocking the streets. On October 31, the UME (Union of Emergency Medical Services) got them out of the garage. They told me that, unable to get out, they had gotten out of their cars and were both outside together. I knew my husband would never abandon my daughter.

After what you've suffered, where do you find the strength to explain it?

— What we seek is justice and reparation for the victims. I owe it to my husband, my daughter, and everyone who died; it's all I have left. To fight for what is right. And what is right is that they didn't act, that they acted wrongly and negligently.

Have they called you from the Generalitat?

— No one has contacted us. They've done nothing from the beginning except lie. You have to believe the people of Valencia or the Spanish people are stupid. Why does the PP keep Mr. Mazón? Every lie hurts us more.

And from the State government?

— Government delegate Pilar Bernabé invited us to the Association of Victims of the DANA (October 29, 2024) at the Delegation to meet us and give us some explanations. She had a trip to Córdoba that day but postponed it.

They've called for Carlos Mazón's resignation. Should anyone else resign?

— We'll have to look at the powers of each councilor, because that's what the protocols are for, to later determine responsibilities. [Mazón] does nothing but blame others. But it's not about assigning blame, but rather determining who is responsible. Anyone else, for less, would be fired, but they remain. Why should they have so many privileges, so much power?

Do you want Mazón to resign or also call for new elections?

— I've never thought about new elections. Perhaps because all I seek is justice.

Do you see any parallels with the neglect of the families of the victims of the 2006 subway accident?

— It happens again and again.

There are social sectors that demand that we focus not on the 29th but instead on reconstruction.

— How can someone who's done so badly from the start ever rebuild anything? We have no faith in him.

Did you attend the funeral at Valencia Cathedral?

— I didn't realize. That day I was digging mud out of my storage room. If I had gone, I would have gone to meet and support other victims' families. But I wouldn't have been with the politicians; I would have left. I couldn't have been with those I believe to be guilty. I think it was a circus by the politicians of the Valencian government, the archbishopric, and the monarchy.

How do you assess the judge's instruction?

— I went to testify on Monday, March 3rd. She seems confident, very competent, and empathetic. I trust her completely. She's a bright spot for us.

And the response of the citizens?

— We have the support of the people, from the Valencian Community, from all over Spain, and even from abroad, which comforts me greatly.

And the aids?

— There are many people who still haven't received their money. A niece of mine who lives in Alfafar had her entire first floor swept away by the floodwaters, and she still hasn't received any help. Neither for her car nor for her job, because she owns a restaurant. She's only received aid from the owners of Mercadona and Zara. She's been out of work for four months now. She's even been forced to take out a loan to survive.