valencia residents are grappling with lingering psychological effects following the devastating floods of September 2025, a disaster that claimed 13 lives and caused an estimated €1.5 billion in damages across the region. What began as a heightened awareness of weather alerts has, for some, morphed into debilitating anxiety triggered by even mild meteorological events. experts at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) are studying this phenomenon, finding it a natural – though perhaps long-lasting – emotional response to trauma amplified by modern technology and the constant flow of data. This report details their findings on the neuroscience of fear, the role of digital media, and strategies for both individual coping and support for vulnerable populations.
The devastating floods that impacted Valencia in 2025 left a lasting psychological impact on residents, extending far beyond the physical damage. What once prompted a simple grab for an umbrella during a weather alert now causes some to cancel plans, obsessively check forecasts, or experience anxiety at the sight of dark clouds. Experts at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) say this shift in response is a natural emotional reaction to a traumatic event.
Manuel Armayones, a professor of behavioral design at the UOC, and Juan L. García Fernández, a clinical neuropsychologist, agree the extreme weather event recalibrated people’s sense of alarm. They note that this heightened sensitivity is amplified by constant news coverage and heavy mobile phone use, particularly among vulnerable populations.
From Collective Shock to Individual Fear
According to Manuel Armayones, a researcher at the Behavioural Design Lab at the UOC, the key to understanding the aftermath lies in how people process information about disasters. “We’ve been exposed to what’s called ‘vicarious trauma’ through our screens,” he explained. “The constant presence of devastating images has created an extreme awareness.”
This digitally amplified trauma alters our perception of risk through well-known psychological mechanisms: classical conditioning and persuasive technology. Neutral stimuli – gray skies, notification sounds – become associated with fear. Visual tools, like rain maps colored in red, can also lead people to overestimate the actual threat.
From a behavioral design perspective, Armayones cautions that the digital environment acts as a powerful “anxiety amplifier.” He says uncertainty – the recurring question of “will it happen again?” – drives a compulsive search for information, often channeled through mobile devices in an attempt to regain control. This behavior is further fueled by the way platforms operate, prioritizing emotionally charged content in an “attention economy.”
“This creates a loop of anticipatory anxiety: we look at our phones to calm down, but we find alarming headlines or fake news. This is what’s known as doomscrolling,” Armayones said. “Technology, instead of being an information tool, becomes a slot machine of anxiety that doesn’t help us regulate our emotions.”
To counter this, Armayones proposes a model of digital consumption he calls “connecting with purpose.” He suggests a “selective information diet,” focusing on a single official source, such as the AEMET or Protección Civil, and avoiding content from messaging chains or sensationalist media. He also recommends shifting domestic conversations away from catastrophic narratives toward a focus on preventative preparedness. Additionally, he advocates for actively managing device settings by disabling intrusive notifications and setting specific times to check for information. This, he believes, can redefine our relationship with technology, ensuring it “should be our co-pilot, not our kidnapper.”
The Neuroscience of Fear: Brain Response and Vulnerable Groups
Juan L. García Fernández, a clinical neuropsychologist and researcher at the NeuroADaSLab, explains the brain’s response from a neurocognitive perspective. Following a traumatic event like the Valencia floods, the brain quickly establishes associations between environmental stimuli – heavy rain, dark skies, strong winds – and the perception of danger, turning them into warning signals. This process involves a hyperactivation of the amygdala, the brain structure responsible for detecting threats, while the prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotional control, struggles to moderate the response.
This dynamic can be associated with post-traumatic stress, characterized by an exaggerated alarm mechanism resulting from experiencing a trauma directly or indirectly. In such cases, adverse weather phenomena can trigger a vivid re-experiencing of the trauma, reactivating memories, sensations, and emotions associated with the original event. “That’s why sometimes a person feels like ‘it’s all happening again,’ even though they rationally know nothing serious is happening,” García Fernández explained.
The typical reaction combines emotional recall, which triggers an automatic response to weather conditions similar to those of the disaster, and anticipatory fear, focused on the possibility of a similar event happening again.
Regarding differential vulnerability, García Fernández identifies several at-risk groups. Children, whose understanding of the world is still developing, may amplify their emotions by observing disproportionate reactions from adults. Older adults with limited mobility or other vulnerabilities often experience an increased perception of fragility and inability to respond. Individuals with acquired brain damage or neurodegenerative diseases also have greater difficulty with emotional self-regulation and discerning whether weather conditions pose an immediate threat, potentially interpreting sounds like wind or thunder as direct dangers. Those who experienced losses during the floods or have pre-existing traumas are also at increased risk, as their already sensitized alarm systems react more immediately to any sign of a storm.
Warning Signs and Support for the Most Vulnerable
García Fernández says it’s understandable for certain acoustic or meteorological stimuli to cause anxiety after a traumatic episode. The problem arises when that reaction exceeds the limits of adaptation and significantly interferes with daily functioning. He lists warning signs, including a disproportionate fear response to mild weather events, systematic avoidance behaviors, persistent discomfort manifesting as sleep disturbances, irritability, jumpiness, or attention deficits, intrusive memories, and, in people with cognitive impairment, noticeable increases in agitation and disorientation. He emphasizes the importance of timing, stating that “if several weeks pass and the discomfort doesn’t diminish, or even worsens, the fear ceases to be a temporary signal and becomes something that limits autonomy, affects well-being, or blocks daily life. That’s when seeking professional support is recommended.”
For caregivers of people with dementia or other neurological conditions, the neuropsychologist proposes an intervention protocol based on simplicity and predictability. He emphasizes that “techniques must be very simple, clear, and repeatable, because those are the ones that work best.” This involves creating a stable environment with moderate sensory stimuli – warm lights, soft music – and using brief, reassuring messages.
He also recommends using elements that facilitate sensory regulation, such as weighted blankets, which provide a sense of physical containment. In specific situations, like a power outage, he advises creating dim, comforting lighting (such as candles or a flashlight with a cloth over the bulb shining on the ceiling or wall), accompanied by supportive conversation and immediate redirection of attention to neutral or positive stimuli with phrases like “we are safe” or “we are together.” In all cases, the caregiver’s attitude – a calm tone of voice and a measured pace – is essential for reducing the affected person’s level of alert. Anticipatory planning is fundamental to this approach, the ultimate goal of which, García Fernández concludes, “is not to deny fear, but to offer security from the outside when the person has difficulty generating it from within.”
The key is to prevent that response from becoming chronic, combining better management of digital information with emotional support strategies, especially for those who were already more vulnerable.
