Valencia Commissions Paco Roca to Create a Monument to DANA Volunteers

Valencia's city council has commissioned the Valencian comic artist Paco Roca to create a monument to the volunteers who helped victims during the catastrophic DANA flood of October 29, 2024.

"The volunteers made DANA one of the greatest displays of solidarity, one that will leave an indelible emotional and social mark on our land," said the city hall's councillor for culture and heritage, José Luis Moreno.

The initiative arose at residents' request. 50,600 euros will be spent on the monument, with a completion deadline of three months.

The 220-centimetre-tall sculpture will be installed on the square of the Nuestra Señora de Gracia church in the La Torre district. The location was not chosen by chance. It was here, in the days after the flood, that city hall set up a coordination point for volunteers.

The monument will be an exact copy of a mural on the facade of the La Rambleta theatre — a work by Paco Roca himself and the artist Martín Forés, created with the support of the Sant Marcel·lí neighbourhood association and funding from private individuals. The mural depicts a young female volunteer in clothing spattered with mud. She strides confidently forward, holding a bucket of water in one hand and a broom in the other.

Paco Roca is one of the world's most influential Spanish comic artists. Among his main works is "Wrinkles" (2007), which received the National Comics Prize in 2008. An animated film was made based on this comic, and it won a Goya Award for best animated film. Roca's other works include "The Furrows of Chance" (Los surcos del azar, 2013), "The Crossroads" (La encrucijada, 2017), which was awarded an Eisner Award for best foreign work, and "The Abyss of Oblivion" (El abismo del olvido, 2024).

In 2014, Valencia's city hall granted him the title of honorary citizen of the city. In 2021 he received a gold medal for merit in the fine arts from the Spanish government, and in 2023 the Valencia Prize for cultural merit.

One of the most devastating floods in Valencia's history occurred on October 29, 2024. As a result, 229 people died in the province of Valencia. The flood destroyed and submerged entire towns. At that time, around 100,000 people registered as volunteers. This figure may be imprecise: many people simply went to the flooded areas without wasting time on formalities. La Cotorra spoke with volunteers who, during DANA, helped their loved ones, acquaintances, and complete strangers.