Godall: ground zero for Storm Alice

Sunday, 12 October 2025 will be remembered forever by the inhabitants of Godall. One year after the terrible storm that devastated Valencia, causing more than 200 deaths, this time Godall has been the epicentre of torrential rains that, unfortunately, are becoming increasingly frequent on the Mediterranean coast of our country.

These devastating rains, which exceeded 200 litres per square metre in a very short time, caused the Godall ravine to overflow and flooded the main streets of the town. The images were worthy of a natural disaster film, with serious material damage: homes severely affected, vehicles destroyed, roads destroyed and streets turned into rivers in a very short period of time. Fortunately, the warnings meant that there were no fatalities, showing that we have learned something from the DANA in Valencia.

The landscape the next day was devastating. Alexis Albiol, president of the village’s oil cooperative and mayor of Godall, reported that around fifty homes were affected by the flood, four of them with serious structural damage. Among the most damaged buildings were the town hall, the cooperative’s offices and the village’s two bars. Neighbours whose homes suffered the most damage have been relocated to relatives’ homes or second homes.

In our case, we were fortunate that the damage to our family home was minimal (water entered the ground floor, but without causing the devastation suffered by other residents). However, for Ralda+Friends, the situation is more complicated, as our materials (boxes, labels and bottles) were stored at the Godall cooperative, which has been devastated. We are assessing the damage and will keep you informed.

At Ralda+Friends, we would like to express our gratitude for the solidarity and selfless work of the town’s residents and volunteers from the region, who have helped to try to restore a sense of normality that still seems a long way off. We would also like to acknowledge the dedication of the health and civil protection personnel, firefighters and Mossos d’Esquadra police force for their tireless work.

This has been a very hard blow for the entire village and its economy. We therefore encourage you to make a donation to the account opened by Godall Town Council to help the families most affected by the DANA: ES77 0049 5728 6221 1602 2574.

Força Godall!

Alfredo and Pierre RALDA