A man who moved to Spain from Britain 15 years ago has described his “helplessness” upon hearing of further devastation in neighboring communities.

Andrew Pilkington, who lives in Vilamarxant, a town in the Valencia region, told our presenter anna jones He was left without electricity, communications and water supplies, but emerged relatively unscathed from the floods.

His friends have been directly affected in nearby villages, he said, spending 36 hours in cars, with one of his wife’s colleagues trapped in a warehouse where he “basically watched people die” as they were dragged away.

“There is a sense of despair, there is a sense of devastation and there is a huge sense of helplessness for people like us,” he said, referring to people like his family who have been less affected.

“Local groups are trying to band together now to find ways to reach nearby villages.”

But with roads closed, it is difficult for them to get anywhere.

“Maybe there are only one or two roads to get in and out of certain places,” he added, causing huge traffic jams.