Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia were pelted with mud by crowds during their visit to the region last week, as anger fermented among communities who said they felt abandoned by authorities in the wake of the natural disaster, with troops and police deployed to assist communities in affected areas.

Barcelona’s transport system ground to a halt, as Catalonia was the latest Spanish region to be hit by extreme storms that killed more than 200 people in neighboring Valencia last week.

Mixed messages and confusion cost lives, dozens of local residents and experts say. More than 220 people died and nearly 80 are still missing.