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The DANA (the Spanish acronym for high-altitude isolated depression, a weather phenomenon that recently caused serious flooding in Valencia and other eastern regions of Spain) is a natural disaster, and attempts are being made to blame it on a nonexistent destruction of reservoirs and dams, other claims suggests that everything is artificial and created by a weapon or that the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) is to blame. Or even all of these things at once. At Maldita.es, we explain what we know and why you shouldn't believe these claims.
“Demolition of dams and reservoirs is to blame”
“AEMET didn’t warn us”
“The weather radars weren’t working”
“It’s a military attack from Morocco”
“It’s artificial and has been provoked by the HAARP project”
“It was chemtrails”
What we know about the number of missing persons and victims
Hoaxes about the Bonaire parking lot
What we know about the 40 deaths in the Alfafar-Benetússer tunnel
What we know about the presence of military personnel in the Valencia area
Other rumors about the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain that have generated alarm
“Demolition of dams and reservoirs is to blame”
“The destruction of reservoirs and dams in recent years” is responsible for the floods in the province of Valencia, and if they had still been standing, the consequences would not have been as severe. This is false.
What has been destroyed since at least the year 2000 are small river barriers: structures that interrupt the flow of rivers, which are mostly weirs and small dams that have become obsolete or are no longer in use. However, these do not retain water; rather, they divert the flow to other areas.
The weirs demolished in this district were removed between 2006 and 2021 (the last year available in data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge), under governments of various political affiliations (Aznar, Zapatero, Rajoy, and Sánchez).
On the other hand, at Maldita.es, we explain the infrastructures specifically demolished in the province of Valencia to refute claims that “four reservoirs have been demolished.” None of these infrastructures were dams or reservoirs, and none of them began the demolition process under Pedro Sánchez's government.
“AEMET didn’t warn us”
“AEMET didn’t warn of anything,” “AEMET didn’t predict it,” “What AEMET did is a matter for the courts.” These statements and many others attack the role of the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), the public agency responsible for monitoring weather and climate in Spain. It is also claimed that the alert sent to mobile phones at 8 PM on October 29 was from AEMET, which is not true. That alert was sent by civil protection, and that morning AEMET had already issued a “red alert.”
“The weather radars weren’t working”
“Sánchez had the Valencia rain radar from AEMET BROKEN and didn’t fix it because the Community is governed by the PP.” (sic). Messages are circulating claiming that the meteorological radar for the province of Valencia from the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) was inoperable during the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain on October 29 and 30, 2024. However, this is false. Although this radar did suffer damage from a lightning strike in September 2023, AEMET itself explains that since October 28, it has been operating with a temporary alternative power supply system.
Additionally, upon reviewing AEMET's radar information for October 29 and 30, we found that there was indeed data for the province of Valencia. Here you can read more about the functioning of that radar.
Another conspiracy theory related to radar claims that the radar in Morón de la Frontera, Seville, caused the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain by “displacing” the clouds. Weather radars are used to locate storms and follow their evolution, but they are not capable of displacing them. This content also states that a second radar in the direction in which the clouds were moving could have “slowed them down2 because the province of Valencia has a station that was in operation on the day of the catastrophe. And as we have already explained, this radar was working, but these systems do not move the storms, as AEMET itself has explained.
Another of the disinformation linked to the weather radars is the one that says that there are “static and sharp clouds” on a Meteored weather radar after the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain. These are false echoes: very common radar interferences that can occur because it detects dust, ocean waves, wifi networks or other elements. They also claim that these clouds come from a “ship full of antennas”, but this is also a hoax.
“It’s a military attack from Morocco”
“Perhaps Morocco has something to do with it (...) to ruin its competitors in the midst of the orange and vegetable season” (sic). This is what the content being spread on social media claims.
But this is a conspiracy theory that lacks scientific evidence. As we have reported in Maldita.es, AEMET had been warning for days about the arrival of the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain; it did not arrive by chance. While some countries have programs for artificial weather modification in very specific locations (for example, Spain through cloud seeding with silver iodide), the results are very poor, achieving little variation in precipitation and having no capacity to create something similar to the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain.
“It’s artificial and has been provoked by the HAARP project”
A well-known conspiracy theory is the one surrounding HAARP, a radio transmitter located in Alaska (United States) that studies a high layer of the atmosphere (the ionosphere) and that, according to disinformation content that often arises during climate emergencies, is used to alter weather conditions. We have debunked content related to this on various occasions in the past.
In this case, we have seen messages like “Valencia, yesterday. It looks like it’s the product of a HAARP weather attack” that suggest the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain was provoked using this technology.
However, the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) warned several days in advance about the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain. On October 25, AEMET researcher Juan Jesús González posted on Twitter (now X) alerting that “if everything continues as the weather models predict over the next 5 days, this DANA phenomenon, due to its characteristics and behavior, has a lot of potential to enter the group of high-impact events. The kind that can be remembered in the Mediterranean region.”
Two days after that, the agency included it in its report of “Special warning for adverse phenomena in October.”
“It was chemtrails”
“It’s a shame that everything is flooded. I have the theory that this is the fault of chemtrails.” A video is circulating on social media in which a person shows aerial footage of the situation in the Valencian Community during the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain and claims it was caused by chemtrails. More content and messages support and spread this theory, which is another conspiracy theory that we have repeatedly debunked at Maldita.es, suggesting that planes are used to release chemical compounds into the atmosphere in order to, among other things, modify the weather.
Other hoaxes about the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain that have generated alarm
- Armories that have been robbed
“The Casany armory in Massanassa has been robbed.” This message is circulating along with content that is creating alarm in the area suffering damage from the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain. These claims are false. The armory has not been robbed; the Valencia Civil Guard states that they have received no notification about it and that it is “a hoax,” while the PSOE in the town of Massanassa says the same.
- Dams that have not broken down but have generated alarm
Several claims of breaks have gone viral: the Forata reservoir, the Manises dam, or the Loriguilla dam. None of these have occurred and have caused great alarm. The Emergency Service 112 of the Valencian Community assured us that these are “fake messages” (false) and from the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, they confirm that it has not happened.
What we know about the number of missing persons and victims
Another of the conspiracies circulating about the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain is that they hide the data on how many people have disappeared or died. In Maldita.es we explain what official data has been given and how the count of the dead and missing people is carried out.
Hoaxes about the Bonaire parking lot
In connection with the casualty figures, various misinformation has been circulated about the car park of the Bonaire shopping centre in Aldaia. Audios, videos and images have circulated in which they speak of death tolls that search teams have described as “hoaxes”. At Maldita.es we are verifying the content circulating about the Bonaire car park and you can consult in this compilation (in Spanish).
What we know about the 40 dead in the Alfafar-Benetússer tunnel
Another misinforming content concerns the Alfafar-Benetússer tunnel, where it is said that, according to the Guardia Civil, up to 40 people have been found dead when the tunnel between Alfafar and Benetússer was opened. Other publications are based on alleged statements by the Malaga Fire Brigade Consortium.
These contents do not provide any evidence and the Guardia Civil of Valencia has not publicly affirmed that it has removed 40 corpses as the channel claims. The Malaga Fire Brigade Consortium assured to Maldita.es that “no dead bodies were found in the tunnel” and that at no time did they say that there were bodies inside. A farmer who claims to have helped free the tunnel has assured that no victims were found in the subway.
What we know about the presence of military personnel in the Valencia area
A narrative is circulating that claims the government is not allowing military personnel to go and help in the Valencian Community after the DANA phenomenon in Valencia and eastern regions of Spain in order to undermine the government of Mazón, from the Popular Party.
According to the Basic Civil Protection Regulation, the Valencian Community is in an operational situation at level 2, which requires the autonomous community to request the necessary assistance from the central government, including the deployment of military personnel.
The government could raise the operational situation to level 3 and take control of the management, although as of November 4 at 12:00 AM, it has not done so.
The Valencian government announced that it had requested military support on October 31 at 5:16 PM. On the morning of November 1, 500 more military personnel were deployed, joining the 1,205 UME (Military Emergency Unit) personnel who were already on the ground at the request of the government since October 29.
