Vigilante groups, angry at authorities' response to Spain's worst flood disaster in decades, have taken to the streets of the Valencian suburb of Paiporta to prevent what they say are widespread robberies and looting after dark.

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.

The number only corresponds to the eastern Valencia region, where 211 of the 217 confirmed deaths took place when entire communities were swamped by tsunami-like floods on Oct. 29