Good Lifestyle

The passage of the meteorological phenomenon known as Dana on the eastern coast of Spain has been classified as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the country. However, the floods that left more than 200 deaths and thousands of cars, houses and shattered buildings have also taken the most human side of society. This includes Queen Letizia, being quite affected during her visit to the municipality of Paiporta, in Valencia, one of the most affected areas. The queen has rarely show this compassionate facet of her personality. Here we tell you what happened.

A bad start

A week after flooding in the Valencian Community, the kings of Spain decided to visit Paiporta, one of the municipalities most affected by the temporal. However, the day did not start well. The royal couple arrived together with the president of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the Regional President Valenciano, Carlos Mazón. Two figures to whom residents, survivors, affected and volunteers blame; First, if not ordered an evacuation in time; And second, not to act quickly later to attend to contingency. With the warmth, the delegation was received under shouts of "murderers", insults and even mud balls thrown towards them. Much of that mud hit Felipe and Letizia, while citizens continued to demand the resignation of Sánchez and Mazón.

Real approach

Despite the tension, the Kings decided to stay and managed to talk to several neighbors to try to recover calm. Letizia was seen with the emotions to the skin of skin: she continuously put her hands to her head or covered her mouth and nose trying not to cry. The cameras captured moments in which he was seen saying "sorry" and "you are right", with his face. A specialized reporter to cover the disaster then reported: “Letizia told me that I perfectly understood all the suffering of all the people of Paiporta and that I understood that people were overwhelmed and that there was angry; Because what happened to them is a catastrophe and understands that they are all as they are. ”

At the foot of the cannon

The image of the kings with mud on the face listening to those affected, also with tears on their cheeks and even hugging some neighbors; He contrasted with the "flight" of the two presidents who decided to retire before the rejection of the people. This, as explained in an interview with the expert of the Spanish Association of Nonverbal Communication, Silva Bangadeiros, was a sample of integrity, temperance, connection and human quality of the real couple, but especially of the queen. “We have seen her completely dejected, we can know thanks to her body posture, every time she listened to the victims, she lowered her head. It is a sample of deep respect for the people he was attending. ”

Empathy sample

Months before this event, the Queen had suffered a fracture in a phalanx of the foot, a fact that maintained it with and led to a lot of pain in her official acts. Even so, she insisted on accompanying her husband to visit Paiporta despite the fact that it was clear that such activity would require breaking the protocol. The psychologist María Padilla declared for a Spanish media that “Letizia, aware of her public position and the impact that her figure can generate, assumes her role as an opportunity to inspire and contribute in times of crisis ... not only visit the affected areas, she He immerses himself in the experience of those who suffer. His behavior shows what in psychology is known as active empathy, an ability to connect genuinely with the emotions and experiences of others, allowing himself to be affected, listening with patience and paying his attention sincerely. ”

After the visit

While the responsibility for the recovery of the affected communities falls on the Government of Spain, the Queen has remained overturned in the case. After his visit, he met with representatives of various organizations such as Cáritas, Red Cross and the volunteer platform of Spain to take assistance to those affected. Also, discussed with volunteer doctors who help both with the medical and mental health of survivors. In addition, Letizia has been seen in public events using garments and accessories of designers whose stores were destroyed by floods.

What really happened?

The storm caused floods and the overflow of rivers and ravines that caught the citizens off guard. This detail has been very criticized, since it is stated that central and regional governments ignored meteorology services. Until mid -November, the death figure was located in 224 people, 216 of them in Valencia. Material and economic damages are incalculable because many people have lost absolutely everything, in addition to many of the affected peoples were without access to basic services such as water and gas. In addition, numerous cultivation fields were completely destroyed. A catastrophe from which citizens will take years to recover.