Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain
By Gemma Middleton •
Published: 02 Nov 2024 • 16:42
• 2 minutes read
The damage left after DANA – Sanchez deploys 10,000 more troops to help get Valencia back to some normalicy (photo: Facebook: N332 public advisory group)
After much criticism, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has ordered 5,000 more troops and 5,000 police officers and civil guards to assist in the Valencia region. Residents have criticised the local authorities over their response to one of the worst floods in Europe during the last century.
I know we must do better said Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez
Sanchez said in a statement “The death toll on Saturday, November 2nd, rose to 211 people, with most fatalities in and around Valencia, The toll is expected to rise further.” Many communities have had bridges and roads collapse, which has made rescue efforts impossible. A large number of towns are still full of water and mud, cutting off many areas and leaving residents without water, food internet or electricity.
Sanchez acknowledged the lack of assistance and said the response that is being given is not enough and there are severe problems and shortages.” He said there are still desperate people searching for their relatives. People who cannot access their homes. Homes were destroyed and buried by mud. I know we have to do better. He went on to state: “The deployment of emergency services and the army is Spain s largest in peacetime.”
Aid is taking time and people are still trapped
Sánchez continued “Some places are still suffering from a lack of basic resources. We know that aid is taking time to reach certain locations. There are still garages and homes that are blocked and people are still trapped, He vowed “Rescue teams will work tirelessly until aid reaches everybody and people have regained normalcy.” He also asked for “national unity.” In the devastated town of Paiporta, where more than 60 deaths have so far been reported, residents have expressed their frustration that aid is coming in too slowly. There aren t enough firefighters, the shovels haven t arrived, Paco Clemente, a 33-year-old pharmacist, told the press.
Residents claim the civil protection alert was not sent in time
There has also been a lot of criticism regarding the civil protection alert. The civil protection agency, overseen by the regional government, issued an emergency alert to the phones of people in and around the city of Valencia after 20:00 local time on Tuesday, by which time the flood water was already rising in many areas and in some cases had become very deep and starting to destroy infrastructure. Many believe the warning came too late for people to take action and get somewhere safe. Madrid’s federal government has also faced heavy criticism for not mobilising the army sooner and for declining an offer from the French government to send 200 firefighters to help with search and rescue efforts. This additional help from France might have helped save more lives.
Survivors are still getting rescued
Eighty arrests have also been made across the region to date as people have begun looting. In response to this Sánchez said he would double the number of civil guards and national police on the streets. One resident from Aldaia told the press he “saw thieves grabbing items from an abandoned supermarket as people have become desperate.” It has now been four days since the region flooded, however, there are still stories of rescues coming in. Today (Saturday, November 2nd) a woman was rescued in the morning from inside her car that had become stuck in the water and mud under a bypass in the Valencian town of Benetusser. These stories are giving others hope who have loved ones missing. The search and rescue continues and it may be many more days before the true number of casualties is discovered.
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Written by
Gemma Middleton
Gemma is a content writer, teacher and screenwriter who has lived in Spain for 16 years. She’s now enjoying her time as an ’empty nester’
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