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Cold Wave Exposes Heating Failures at Valencia Schools Hit by 2024 Floods

Parents report unsafe classroom temperatures after stalled repairs.

Overview

  • Pupils in flood-damaged schools returned to classrooms at roughly 8–9°C, with some lessons taken under blankets during the cold wave.
  • FAMPA-València lodged a complaint with the regional education department, warning of a clear health risk and inviting Consellera Maria del Carmen Ortí to witness conditions.
  • Reconstruction left key air-handling units removed and unreplaced, with CEIP Vila Romana reporting about 13°C in classrooms.
  • Stopgap heating has proven unviable, as IES Berenguer Dalmau’s temporary barracks dropped to around 9°C and portable heaters at IES 25 d’Abril triggered up to six power cuts in one morning.
  • At IES Juan de Garay, a Nedgia–Alcancia permitting dispute has kept a renewed boiler offline, leaving rooms at 10–11°C—below the 17°C guideline—as political criticism of local authorities grows.