“To keep his job, Fernando Navalón, 45, sleeps at least three nights a week in his truck in the industrial zone of Paterna,” northwest of the city of Valencia, details The Country. “He has no choice”, assures the center-left newspaper. His working day ends far too late for him to take public transport to return home, 11 kilometers away, to Paiporta, the epicenter of the terrible floods of October 29.
These bad weather caused the death of 231 people, according to a latest count, and caused considerable material damage in the affected areas. According to figures from the Spanish government, more than 120,000 vehicles have paid the price, including “the Volkswagen Polo” by Fernando. “He has no news from the Insurance Compensation Consortium,” the public entity responsible for covering losses caused by natural disasters in Spain, and therefore starts a “new life without a car”, notes The Country.
Assistance for purchasing a new vehicle
As of December 15, the organization had received “some 220,000 complaints”, reports the Madrid newspaper. They concern damaged vehicles, but also “housing and businesses” affected by the “cold drop”. Due to the “complexity” files and “volume” requests to be processed, “payments can take up to six months”. Not to mention that total recovery is not always guaranteed, warns The Country.
At the end of November, the Spanish executive announced to allocate 465 million euros for citizens “who need to replace their vehicle after losing it during the cold drop”, recalls the Valencian newspaper Levante-El Mercantil Valenciano. “Aid will be granted for the purchase of new or used vehicles,” adds the daily. She will be able to rise “up to 10,000 euros” under conditions, if the applicant opts in particular for a 100% electric vehicle. “Waiting for the insurance call”, concludes The Country, some Valencians have opted for cycling.
