Most everything else in the daycare — the cradles, the highchairs, the toys — was ruined when a crushing wall of water swept through Paiporta, turning the Valencia municipality of 30,000 into the likely epicenter of Spain's deadliest natural disaster in living memory.

The city on the southern outskirts of Valencia was devastated by a sudden wave of mud almost 2 meters high, on the night of October 29. At least 62 people perished. Tales of tragedy and acts of courage intertwine in a community in a state of shock.

Survivors of the worst natural disaster to hit Spain this century awoke to scenes of devastation on Thursday after villages were wiped out by monstrous flash floods that claimed at least 95 lives. The death toll could rise as search efforts continue with an unknown number of people still missing.