Emerging Citizen Digital Networks in the Face of the Climate Crisis: Radiography of Solidarity Initiatives in the Valencia DANA Flooding Catastrophe (2024)

Abstract

This study analyses the communicative resilience in Valencian society after the catastrophe caused by the dana on October 29, 2024, which resulted in 228 victims. In the absence of institutional response, alternative citizen-driven communication channels emerged, allowing the rapid dissemination of information and the organization of aid. These initiatives represent a model of social innovation based on digital cooperation and mobilization through social networks and digital platforms. The research focuses on the analysis of 22 initiatives with the greatest social impact that structured their response in two phases: emergency and reconstruction. A mixed methodology based on a detailed survey of each initiative and Social Network Analysis (SNA) is used to study the interaction between them. The results show that citizens organized themselves collectively or individually and created faster and more effective communication networks than institutions, demonstrating the potential of digital activism during episodes of climate crisis. Moreover, this phenomenon has generated new narratives on climate change, moving away from catastrophism to focus on solidarity and community action, through community support strategies and post-emergency reconstruction assistance.