By Siobhan RobbinsEuropean correspondent

In the Spanish town of Algemesí, people are angry.

The Raval suburb was one of the worst affected by the flash floods, but residents feel abandoned.

“When the alert came, the water was already two meters high,” Carolina shouts from her balcony.

“There were no police, no firefighters, no mayor. No one came to rescue us.”

The anguish is repeated street after street.

Carmen puts her hands to her head and cries.

“They have lost everything and they have lost everything,” he says, pointing to his neighbors’ houses.

All the houses are in ruins and their owners are heartbroken.

Dolores shows us the inside of her house.

She said the flood reached the ceiling, but when no help arrived, they had to cut holes in the walls to clear the water.

“I feel terrible. I’m terrified and very afraid. My husband is sick, we need more help,” she says.

The level of destruction is immense.

On the street we meet Noel with his children.

Barefoot, the youngest walks in the mud. Yesterday he and his wife had nothing to eat. He feels helpless.

“Right now there are people who are trapped. The mud reaches up to their waists so they can’t open the doors. I live on a high floor so I didn’t have any problems with the flooding in my house, but we don’t have water, electricity or food,” he says.

There is a growing feeling of desperation in this suburb.

At one point, someone shouts “food” and people rush to grab what they can from a nearby store.

It is unclear if the owner let them in or if they are looting.

The devastation is so great and at a time when people are most in need, they feel frustrated and alone.

In a nearby shelter we met people from Algemesí who have been left homeless because of the flood.

Carol says she has never felt so desperate.

“There was a tree trunk that reached the front of my house. There are no walls, no roof. I have nothing. There is nothing left,” he explains, beginning to cry.

For many, the initial trauma of this natural disaster has subsequently been compounded by a feeling of loss and loneliness.