They came by bus, by tractor or on foot. They waded through mud hoping to help clean up neighborhoods washed away by floodwaters that have killed at least 211 people.

Thousands of Spanish citizens made their way to flood-ravaged Valencia over the weekend after the country’s worst natural disaster in recent history left the nation shocked by images of overturned cars and brick homes torn apart by furious water.

The devastation has become a political flashpoint and brought home fears over the effects of climate change. But for many, the most immediate and important response was to lend a hand.

While the military, the police and civil guard officers searched for survivors and cleared debris, civilians joined in the effort wherever they could, determined to help Valencia and surrounding regions rebuild and to help its citizens recover.

On Saturday, a parade of tractors rolled into urban Valencia, a province on Spain’s eastern shoreline, driven by farmers from around the region who had come to help clear debris. “The countryside is once again showing its solidarity,” Valencia’s agricultural association said on social media.