BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Twelve days have passed since catastrophic flash floods left a muddy scar across eastern Spain, killing more than 200 people and defiling the homes of thousands more.

The apocalyptic scenes documented by Associated Press photographers bear witness to the terrifying power of nature unleashed in all its fury.

It was as if a tsunami, instead of having been generated in the depths of the ocean and sent crashing onto the shore, had been poured down by a vengeful god from the sky and ransacked in sleeping villages and ordinary neighborhoods.

The wild new river caught thousands off-guard, threw cars around like toys, and demolished buildings closest to the normally dry canal banks, which themselves were widened with jagged edges.

Survivors say 15 minutes was enough to drainage canal which played a crucial role in the disaster move from emptiness to overflow. Neighboring houses channeled the tumultuous water to spread its shock wave. Regional authorities failed to alert the population over time, and in some places, it did not even rain to warn people, which amplified the chaos.

Subsequently, the streets appear to have been dynamited in medieval times, covered in layers of mud that obscured any glimpse of sidewalk or paving stones.

Everything on the ground floor was turned into rubbish within minutes as water rushed into the houses. Furniture, clothes, toys, photos, family heirlooms… nothing was spared.

The feeling of abandonment of many residents has transformed into anger, causing the king and prime minister of Spain to be bombed with clods of mud when they visited the devastated area.

Every foot is covered in mud, the brown, sticky grime that, after days, continues to ooze from ruined homes and stores, no matter how much is shoveled and swept away.

The “thup, thup, thup” echoes in the air from military helicopters flying over the area that has been described as “ground zero” for the October 29 floods.

The search now continues for the missing. Searchers stick poles into the mud banks in the hope of finding and recovering the bodies of the dead.

But human generosity is also found in the midst of despair.

While thousands of soldiers and police reinforcements remove countless wrecked cars, it is the people themselves, residents, neighbors and volunteers who flock on foot to help.

Strangers help the needy plunging into the mud, and with every shovel and throw, move forward toward distant renewal.