The Mud Angels by Raúl Belinchón

Nothing in the world could have prepared Raúl Belinchón for what he was about to experience in the days that followed the most catastrophic flooding in the history of Spain’s Valencia region. The natural disaster affected 80 municipalities resulting in more than 220 deaths and over 100,000 cars destroyed. Over a 72-hour period in the municipality of Paiporta, Belinchón witnessed the fierce determination of young volunteers who refused to turn away from the catastrophe. Armed with mops, buckets, brushes and shovels, they cleaned houses, stores and streets; they brought medicine to the sick; food to the hungry; and clothes to those who had lost everything. Setting up a white background by a long footbridge renamed the ‘Bridge of Solidarity,’ Belinchón photographed the volunteers on their way home, paying tribute to the caring ‘Mud Angels.’