AP PHOTOS: Death by water, burial by mud. Images of the once-in-a-century floods in Spain

BARCELONA, Spain – Twelve days have passed since catastrophic flash floods left a muddy scar across eastern Spain, killing over 200 people and littering the homes of thousands more.

Apocalyptic scenes documented by Associated Press photographers testify to the terrible power of nature being unleashed in all its violence.

It was as if a tsunami had not originated in the depths of the ocean and hurled itself onto the shore, but had been unleashed by a vengeful sky god and raged through sleepy villages and ordinary neighborhoods.

The wild, newborn river surprised thousands, tossing cars around like toys and tearing down buildings closest to the normally dry canal banks, leaving widened, ragged edges.

Survivors say it took just 15 minutes for a drainage canal that was crucial to the disaster to go from empty to overflowing. Adjacent houses channeled the rushing water to amplify its pressure wave. Regional authorities failed to alert the population in time, and in some places it did not even rain enough to alert people, adding to the chaos.

Afterwards, the streets look like they’ve been transported back to the Middle Ages, covered in layers of mud that blocked any view of sidewalk or cobblestones.

Everything on the ground floor was turned into trash within minutes as the water entered the houses. Furniture, clothing, toys, photos, heirlooms…nothing was spared.

The feeling of abandonment turned to anger among many residents, leading to the Spanish king and prime minister being pelted with mud when they visited the devastated area.

Every foot is caked in mud, the sticky brown dirt that continues to seep out of houses and destroyed businesses after days, no matter how much is shoveled and swept away.

The “thump, thump, thump” thumps in the air from military helicopters flying over the area described as “ground zero” of the Oct. 29 floods.

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

But even in the midst of despair, human generosity can be found.

As thousands of troops and police reinforcements clear the countless car wrecks, it is the people themselves, residents, neighbors and volunteers who are flocking on foot to help.

Strangers help those in need by diving into the dirt, inch by inch toward distant renewal with every spoon and every toss.