Armando G. Tejeda
Correspondent
La Jornada Newspaper
Wednesday, November 6, 2024, p. 23
Madrid. Seven days after the worst morning in decades, following the isolated depression at high levels (DANA) in the Valencian Community, the Spanish government, chaired by the socialist Pedro Sánchez, presented a recovery plan, in which it foresees a direct investment of more than 10,600 million euros, with which it will cover all the expenses of the affected municipalities and will provide aid to residents who have lost their homes worth 20,000 euros or more.
These measures are added to the plan presented by the regional administration, led by right-wing Carlos Mazón, which will involve a total expenditure of more than 30 billion euros.
After the weekend attacks in Paiporta, when the kings of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, and the presidents of Spain and Valencia, were received with balls of mud, stones and other objects amid cries of murderers! and inept!relief and recovery plans for the area were finally announced.
Sánchez presented his initiative after an ordinary council of ministers, in which he announced that his plan will give between 20,000 and 60,000 euros to repair damaged homes and 10,300 euros to change or repair furniture, appliances and belongings.
The Spanish government’s plan provides for direct aid of 838 million euros for small and medium-sized businesses and self-employed workers in the most affected areas. In addition, an extraordinary temporary disability will be created for workers and self-employed workers with physical or psychological damage caused by torrential rains, as it is considered a work accident, which guarantees them 75 percent of their salary from the first day of disability.
▲ A painting in an affected home in Paiporta, Valencia, shows the height that the floods reached.Photo Ap
Sánchez also made future aid conditional on the Congress of Deputies approving the general budgets of the State, which he has not been able to carry out due to not having the support of his parliamentary partners. He urged the opposition of the right-wing Popular Party to support the measure, which it immediately refused.
The president of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, of the right-wing Popular Party, also presented his recovery plan, which will include direct and immediate aid of 6 thousand euros to those affected and the development of an investment plan of more than 30 billion euros , for which you must have the support of the central administration.
In the Bonaire parking lot, where it was feared there were fatalities, the Spanish police reported that no one was found dead, ruling out the initial hypothesis of the local authorities.
In addition, it was reported that 15 of the 45 detainees were imprisoned for participating in acts of looting and theft in commercial premises devastated by the storm.
The government indicated that, according to its first estimates, insurance companies will have to pay around 3.5 billion euros for the damage caused by the torrential rains.
