Royal Family Supports DANA Disaster Relief Project – Photos

Second act for the Kings in Valencia this Wednesday, and the most emotional. Don Felipe and Doña Letizia have was able to see first-hand ‘Save the Photos’, one of the most unique projects that emerged after the DANA of October 2024. The initiative, promoted from the university level, has become a key point for the recovery of thousands of family memories damaged by the flood, many of them the only thing that families were able to rescue from their homes.

After inaugurating the exhibition ‘The Transformation of Valencia 1866-2026’, on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the newspaper ‘Las Provincias’, the Kings stopped for lunch and then traveled to the Polytechnic University of Valencia, where they have been received by cheers from the neighbors before entering the building to learn about the project.

Accompanied by academic leaders and project directors, the Kings toured the facilities of the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Assets. In the work rooms, the albums of the affected families arrive still covered in dry mud and humidity, and are treated one by one with slow and precise processes. The work consists of cleaning, separating, drying and digitizing photographys that, in many cases, were destined to disappear.

Felipe VI and Mrs. Letizia have been interested in the day-to-day running of the project and they have spoken with some of the nearly 120 students and volunteers who have participated in it since November 4. The majority are young people between 23 and 27 years old who go to the university outside their usual hours to collaborate in a constant and demanding job, both due to the workload and the stories that accompany each box of photos that arrives.

During the visit, the King recalled the words spoken after the catastrophe and highlighted the university’s ability to respond directly to the needs of Valencian society at a critical moment. For the volunteers, the presence of los Reyes represents an institutional recognition of a discreet task that is carried out without focus and that, however, has a direct impact on the lives of those who have suffered DANA.

Each box that arrives hides a story of loss, but also of hope. Wedding photographs, portraits of grandparents, children’s birthdays, forgotten trips… simple memories that, after DANA, have become treasures.

Second act for the Kings in Valencia this Wednesday, and the most emotional. Don Felipe and Doña Letizia have was able to see first-hand ‘Save the Photos’, one of the most unique projects that emerged after the DANA of October 2024. The initiative, promoted from the university level, has become a key point for the recovery of thousands of family memories damaged by the flood, many of them the only thing that families were able to rescue from their homes.