Iranzo: ''We'LL be eternally grateful to the teammates and the people of the town"

This dramatic situation is also serving to bring out the best in people’. With this phrase, Valencia CF player Rubén Iranzo sums up his feelings almost a week after the flash floods that devastated the  southern part of  the Valencia region, including the town of Picanya, where the VCF Mestalla captain and his family are going through an unthinkable situation. His own Valencia CF and VCF Mestalla teammates have been at his home helping him to clean up, remove the mud and all the useless objects.

"We are going little by little, coming to terms with everything that has happened,’ Rubo told l'Informatiu de VCF Media. ‘The first few hours and the first few days were very tough, because of the stress, the helplessness being all day with no sleep, nothing to eat or drink.. and now, thanks to everyone's help in general, we are seeing a glimpse of light little by little and that is what we are holding on to’, says the defender, who recalls the beginning of the situation.

"It seemed like a normal day when it could be raining hard but normal and we were at home watching TV. My brother called us to warn us that the ravine was about to overflow. We took the cars out, which we were quite lucky, and we left them in an area where we thought they were going to be safe".

We took the cars out, which we were quite lucky, we left them in an area where we thought nothing was going to happen to them, we were walking and the water came.We were able to get into the house of some neighbours who took in about 20 people and we stayed there for about 6 hours until the water subsided and we were able to go to our house, which was flooded up to our waist. When we opened the door, the water that had pooled in the house came out, from the inside towards the outside".

After the first shock, the situation had to be dealt with. ‘The first few hours were very hard, with nothing to eat or drink. We tried to sleep upstairs, and the next day I walked with my father to Valencia to get some food and drink, and it was very shocking what you saw. And it was surprising that you walked from Picanya to Valencia city and everything was normal there, and when you returned to Picanya and saw everything as it was, you were devastated again," says Iranzo.

"Picanya, the whole town is destroyed, with a lot of material damage, not as much loss of people as Paiporta, but terrible material damage. It's like something out of a horror film, as if a tsunami or a bomb had come through".

Almost a week later the situation is improving thanks to the aid they have been receiving. ‘At home we have affected the ground floor, living room, kitchen and garage, but the living room and kitchen are now clean thanks to all the people who have come to help,’ including many of his Valencia CF and VCF Mestalla teammates.

"It has been incredible. It has brought out the best side of humanity, with the thousands and thousands of volunteers who have come to the town, it is to be thanked and we will be eternally grateful to the people of the town itself and the volunteers who have come from Valencia and other parts of Spain.

VCF Mestalla and first team players have come to the house to clean and remove mud and water, and for us this is very important.We are very grateful,’ admits Iranzo, who, like his parents, has had to look for accommodation and is still waiting to be able to access and clean the communal garage.

"Thanks are also extended to all the people who have collaborated in the collection of foodstuffs and hygiene products that these days have filled Mestalla with tons of solidarity. ‘The people who have contributed at Mestalla should know that we are very grateful because this aid is arriving and is being distributed to the people who need it. It is a much more direct aid with the help of the EMS, police, military... who have access to be able to reach the heart of the towns and aid from within".

At the Ciutat Esportiva, the staff have filled the car that Sergi Tenés has lent me several times, bringing food, water water, and medical supplies".

Rubén Iranzo's gratitude is reflected in this interview with VCF Media and in a message he posted on social media this Sunday. ‘I hadn't wanted to publish anything because I didn't feel up to it, but yesterday's message gave me the strength to thank everyone for their support, which is incredible, and to say that we could see some light and that things were moving forward".