In Valencia, Moroccans work up to 14 hours a day to restore the city to its original state

A first contingent of 70 agents, 24 fire trucks and an assistance van arrived Wednesday, November 13 at the port of Motril (Granada) from Tanger Med. After being received by the Moroccan consul in Andalusia, Soumia El Fathi, the team was led by the Civil Guard to its base of operations, installed at the Bétera hospital complex. The Moroccan contingent in Valencia was then reinforced with the arrival of 37 other agents and 13 trucks, for a total of 104 Moroccan civil protection agents and 37 trucks.

The arrival of Moroccan relief comes following Spain’s acceptance of aid offered by Morocco following the devastating floods in Valencia, to help rebuild the city, affected by the Dana. This humanitarian action is part of the bilateral emergency agreement signed by the two countries in Rabat on January 21, 1987, reports The Debaterecalling that Spain had also provided support to Morocco in September 2023, the day after the deadly Al Haouz earthquake, by sending to the kingdom a team of 30 agents from the Special Emergency and Immediate Intervention Unit of the Community of Madrid (Ericam), including firefighters as well as rescue dogs.

Read: Floods in Spain: Moroccans to rebuild Valencia?

Since their arrival in the Valencian community, Moroccan agents have been “working hard” to rehabilitate the sewer system, destroyed by the floods. They work up to 14 hours a day (6 a.m. to 8 p.m.) without interruption to quickly resolve this situation which could lead to “serious public health problems”. From the first days, they carried out works to unblock sewers and collectors in the municipalities of Alfafar, La Alcudia, Masanasa, Sedaví, Utiel and Paiporta.

The Spanish civil guards admire the dexterity and self-sacrifice of the Moroccan agents. “Their dedication and capacity for work are impressive,” says Gonzalo Sanz, of the General Directorate of Civil Protection of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, responsible for coordinating relief efforts. For the moment, the exact date of the end of the mission of Moroccan agents in Valencia is not known. Everything will depend on the Valencian authorities, responsible for analyzing the needs of the affected areas and transmitting them to the Spanish government, which has the final say.