Podcast Summary: Hoy por Hoy — Santiago Quintanilla, joven voluntario en la DANA

Host: SER Podcast / Àngels Barceló
Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This special episode of Hoy por Hoy is dedicated to reflecting on the first anniversary of the devastating DANA (isolated high-level depression) floods that struck the Horta Sud region of Valencia. Through a tapestry of deeply personal stories and thoughtful conversations, host Àngels Barceló and her guests revisit that traumatic event and explore the community’s collective process of recovery, the ongoing scars, the importance of solidarity, and the transformative power of shared experience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Testimonies: Survival, Solidarity, and Recovery

A Mother's Journey Home

• [00:14] A tearful account is shared from Laura and Ángel, describing the panic and hardship of being stranded by the floods, the kindness of strangers, and the emotional pull of wanting to return home to her children:
  • “Al final lo material es efímero... las vidas humanas solo tenemos una.” — Ángel ([00:56])

Dealing with Crisis on Top of Crisis: Bea Verdejo

• [02:27] Jessica Crespo interviews Bea Verdejo, who faced the DANA while recently diagnosed with breast cancer and en route to surgery.
  • Bea recounts wading through mud to reach the hospital, the trauma that followed, and finding resilience through rebuilding her yoga center and offering free classes for community healing.
  • “Para poder sanar esta herida tan grande... es necesario reconocer el dolor y tomar consciencia de lo que nos ha sucedido. Tenemos que abrazarlo.” — Bea Verdejo ([05:36])
  • She emphasizes collective healing over “socializing” for its own sake.

Small Businesses & the Fabric of the Community

• [09:50] Carlos Pascual, a plumber from Guada Suar, explains the logistical nightmare of restoring essential services and the triage decisions that prioritized the most vulnerable (elderly, schools, factories).
  • “Pensamos que teníamos que ir a las personas más vulnerables, a los mayores, porque ya llevaban días sin servicio de agua caliente...” — Carlos Pascual ([12:17])
  • Cascading support among business networks, improvisation, and inter-city coordination were essential to recovery.

2. Youth and Grassroots Organization in Crisis

The Next Generation Steps Forward

• [16:34] Santiago Quintanilla shares his experience as a young volunteer and the organizer of relief efforts. He opened his gym (Motion Academy) as a shelter and organized teams of volunteers—most between 20 and 25 years old—to distribute aid and clean up.
  • “No había que plantearse el cómo hacerlo, cómo actuar, sino que había que solucionarlo inmediatamente, y en ese momento fue actuar.” — Santiago Quintanilla ([18:47])
  • He observes the transformation in himself and peers: from individualism to deep-rooted community action.

Diversified Reactions to Trauma

• Santiago distinguishes between three responses among those affected:
  1. Those who saw adversity as motivation to rebuild and start new projects.
  2. Those traumatized to the point of wanting to leave.
  3. Those still immobilized by uncertainty and loss.
  • “He tenido un hundimiento, voy a aprovechar este arranque para poder empezar a desarrollar proyectos, conocer más gente, ayudar a más personas.” — Santiago Quintanilla ([19:42])

Community Projects Post-Crisis

• Santiago discusses “Monument for Movement”, his parkour project aimed at activating communal spaces quickly and affordably in devastated areas, fostering intergenerational play and contact ([20:18]).

3. Commerce, Routine & Emotional Aftermath

Pharmacies as Community Hubs

• [22:44] Agustín Rodríguez and Rafael discuss how a local pharmacy in Alfafar transformed into a support network for neighbors, both practically (flooded, rebuilt, restocked) and emotionally (a venue for mutual sharing and resilience).
  • “Nada más abrir la persiana empezaron a entrar vecinos... estaban con escobas, con fregonas, con palas. Y claro, yo me quedé sorprendido porque no me lo esperaba.” — Rafael ([23:55])
  • Ongoing anxiety remains every time it rains:
    • “En cuanto hay una alerta... la gente sube todos los muebles... por miedo a que se repita.” — Rafael ([25:19])

4. Role of Art, Memory, and Storytelling in Healing

The Importance of Not Forgetting

• [26:38] Cristina Durán, artist and local resident, discusses the emotional and collective healing affected by both journalism and art. The act of remembering—and creating testimonies in forms like comics—preserves history and fosters empathy.
  • “Desde el mundo de la cultura y del arte tenemos ese deber de seguir contándonos, de seguir contando y de seguir arropando a la gente con nuestras historias.” — Cristina Durán ([27:04])
  • She draws parallels with previous works about public tragedies and personal adversity.

Cultural Memory as Resistance

• Discussing the resistance to oblivion amidst political disinterest in collective memory:
  • “En este país tenemos un problema con la memoria y tenemos un problema con los políticos que no quieren que tengamos memoria, que seamos unos desmemoriados.” — Ángel ([30:01])

Books, Libraries, and Reconstruction

• The joy and symbolic meaning behind reopening libraries and bookshops, and the pain of losing treasured, irreplaceable personal items in the flood ([31:49]).

5. Community, Public Services & Hope for the Future

The Enduring Role of Radio

• The episode repeatedly honors radio as a lifeline—connecting, informing, and comforting in times of upheaval.
  • “La radio lo único que pretende es contar la vida, contarnos la vida...” — Ángel ([34:21])

Community, Collective Action & Public Services

• “La única manera de imaginar un futuro posible... es realmente vivir en comunidad y colectivo.” — Cristina Durán ([36:05])
• The need for ongoing political and public service support is acknowledged alongside grassroots efforts.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (By Timestamp)

• “Al final lo material es efímero... pero las vidas humanas solo tenemos una.” – Ángel ([00:56])
• “Para poder sanar esta herida tan grande que tenemos en nuestra alma, es necesario reconocer el dolor y tomar consciencia de lo que nos ha sucedido.” – Bea Verdejo ([05:36])
• “Pensamos que teníamos que ir a las personas más vulnerables, a los mayores...” – Carlos Pascual ([12:17])
• “No había que plantearse el cómo hacerlo, cómo actuar, sino que había que solucionarlo inmediatamente y en ese momento fue actuar.” – Santiago Quintanilla ([18:47])
• “Nada más abrir la persiana empezaron a entrar vecinos y la verdad es que estaban con escobas... Fueron un gran apoyo.” – Rafael ([23:55])
• “En cuanto hay una alerta... la gente sube todos los muebles por miedo a que se repita.” – Rafael ([25:19])
• “Desde el mundo de la cultura y del arte tenemos ese deber de seguir contándonos...” – Cristina Durán ([27:04])
• “La radio lo único que pretende es contar la vida, contarnos la vida...” – Ángel ([34:21])
• “La única manera de imaginar un futuro posible... es realmente vivir en comunidad y colectivo.” – Cristina Durán ([36:05])

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:14–02:27] – Personal account from Laura & Ángel about the night of the flood
• [02:27–07:33] – Interview with Bea Verdejo on personal and community resilience
• [09:50–15:37] – Carlos Pascual on restoration logistics, youth mobilization, and school mapping projects
• [16:34–20:45] – Santiago Quintanilla on youth action, volunteer organization, and social transformation
• [22:44–25:56] – Pharmacy as a community hub during and after the flood
• [26:38–31:49] – Cristina Durán on memory, storytelling, comics, and the role of art in trauma recovery
• [34:21–36:49] – The significance of local radio and collective memory

Tone & Language

The episode maintains a warm, empathetic, and reflective tone, oscillating between grief and hope. Speakers consistently use plain, heartfelt language, and the mood is intimate and communal—a clear reflection of the ongoing solidarity in Horta Sud.

Final Thoughts

This episode powerfully illustrates how extreme events can both wound and unite a community. Through the candid voices of those affected, “Hoy por Hoy” weaves together stories of trauma, resilience, and transformation, culminating in a collective understanding: recovery is rooted not only in rebuilding structures, but in sharing stories, showing up for each other, and refusing to let memory fade.

“Pensar que hay mucha gente a nuestro alrededor que nos puede apoyar, nos puede ayudar y nos puede echar una mano tanto mentalmente como físicamente.” – Santiago Quintanilla ([26:16])