Valencia flood damage: help my brother repair his home

Naomi Stratton is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Rhodri Jac Stratton.

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Hi, thanks for taking the time to read this. I'm fundraising for my big brother, Rhodri Jac, whose home in Valencia has been destroyed by this week's floods.

As you will know, the Valencia region in Spain, has been hit by catastrophic flash floods. 158 dead, dozens missing at the time of writing.

Thankfully Rhodri managed to get to safety but almost everything he owns has been washed away or swamped in mud and sewage. The aerial photo at the bottom of this page shows the extent of the flooding around Valencia (all of the beige) and my brother's home, located at the red cross in the image.

Rhodri was taken by surprise the night of the floods, when he realised the surrounding fields and irrigation channels running through his neighbourhood of Castellar had overflown with water laden with mud. Within minutes it had penetrated the house and the waterline began climbing. He was quickly forced to take refuge on the roof, where he had to spend the night watching his neighbourhood become isolated by churning waters, full of floating cars and debris. The next day he waded through mud and water to safety.

Like many others, he is now involved in clearing his house and those of other locals. He is staying with a friend, is wearing borrowed clothes, has his mobile phone and work computer. Nothing else.

Rhodri has been painstakingly restoring this old, Valencian house and as well as being his home, like many of us now, this is also his place of work. In just a few, short hours its contents was largely swept away.

This crowd fund is to help him replace his household appliances: an oven, washing machine, stove heater; basic furniture like a bed, sofa, kitchen table, desk, chairs, wardrobe, kitchen units, fridge freezer; building tools; a bike, which is his main mode of transport. All these are gone. His entire collections of books and CDs, his TV, personal computer, pictures and photos, documents etc have also gone. These are not replaceable. But help with the basics would ease the pain of these losses.

Friends and family from across Wales, Ireland, England, Spain, Japan and beyond have been reaching out with support. Many of you will know him from his time at Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, Aberystwyth and Brighton & Hove universities, teaching in Spain and Japan, or through the climbing community of Valencia. This page will help us get your aid to Rhodri Jac.

With many thanks,

Naomi, Rhian, Tim & Chitsuru

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I'r Cymry, diolch am gymryd yr amser i ddarllen hwn. Rwy'n codi arian ar gyfer fy mrawd annwyl, Rhodri Jac, a'i gartref yn Valencia sydd wedi'i ddinistrio gan y llifogydd yr wythnos hon.

Fel y gwyddoch, mae rhanbarth Valencia yn Sbaen, wedi cael ei daro gan fflachlifoedd trychinebus. 158 wedi marw, a ddwsinau ar goll ar yr adeg hon.

Diolch byth, llwyddodd Rhodri i gyrraedd diogelwch ond mae bron popeth sydd ganddo wedi ei olchi i ffwrdd neu ei foddi mewn llaid a charthion. Mae'r awyrlun isod yn dangos maint y llifogydd o amgylch Valencia a chartref fy mrawd, sydd wedi'i leoli o dan y groes goch yn y ddelwedd.

Cafodd Rhodri ei synnu ar noson y llifogydd, pan sylweddolodd fod y caeau o’i amgylch a’r sianeli dyfrhau a oedd yn rhedeg drwy Castellar, ei bentref, wedi gorlifo â dŵr llawn llaid. O fewn munudau roedd y dŵr wedi treiddio i'r tŷ a dechreuodd y llinell ddŵr ddringo. Fe'i gorfodwyd i ddringo'r to am loches, lle bu'n rhaid iddo dreulio'r noson yn gwylio'r tai o'i gwmpas yn cael ei foddi gan y dyfroedd, llawn ceir a sbwriel. Y diwrnod wedyn camodd drwy llaid a dŵr budr i ddiogelwch.

Mae Rhodri, fel llawer eraill, bellach wedi cychwyn clirio ei dŷ a rhai ei gymdogion. Mae'n aros gyda ffrind, yn gwisgo dillad wedi'u benthyca, mae ganddo ffôn symudol a chyfrifiadur gwaith. Dyna i gyd.

Mae Rhodri wedi bod yn adfer yr hen dŷ traddodiadol yma yn drylyw ac yn ogystal â bod yn gartref iddo, fel llawer ohonom rwan, dyma hefyd yw ei weithle. Mewn dim ond ychydig o oriau byr, cafodd y rhan fwyaf o'r gynnwys ei ysgubo i'r llif.

Mae'r gronfa dorf yma i'w helpu i adnewyddu ei offer cartref: popty, peiriant golchi, gwresogydd stôf; dodrefn sylfaenol fel gwely, soffa, bwrdd cegin, desg, cadeiriau, cwpwrdd dillad, unedau cegin, oergell-rhewgell; offer adeiladu; beic, sef ei brif modd o deithio o gwmpas. Mae'r rhain i gyd wedi mynd. Mae ei gasgliadau cyfan o lyfrau a chryno ddisgiau, ei deledu, ei gyfrifiadur personol, lluniau a ffotograffau, dogfennau ac ati, hefyd wedi eu colli. Ni ellir amnewid y rhain. Ond byddai help gyda'r pethau sylfaenol yn lleddfu poen y colledion hyn.

Mae ffrindiau a theulu ar draws Cymru, Iwerddon, Lloegr, Sbaen, Japan a thu hwnt wedi bod yn estyn eu chefnogaeth. Bydd llawer ohonoch yn ei adnabod o’i amser yn Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, a phrifysgolion Aberystwyth a Brighton & Hove, fel athro yn Sbaen a Japan, neu drwy gymuned ddringo Valencia. Bydd y dudalen yma yn ein helpu danfon eich cymorth i Rhodri Jac.

Diolch o galon,

Naomi, Rhian, Tim a Chitsuru