Weather alert relayed late, aid delivered too slowly: Spanish political leaders are under heavy criticism after last week's devastating floods which left at least 217 dead, including 213 in the province of Valencia. Why such dysfunctions?
This is, I believe, the result of two combined factors. On the one hand, administrative decentralization is very extensive in Spain. The autonomous community has particular jurisdiction over civil security and, as long as it does not raise the alert to level 3, the central government cannot intervene and send the army. Everything – including the acceptance of aid from third countries – is done at the request of the president of the Generalitat.
On the other hand, there is a very strong political polarization between the socialist central government of Pedro Sanchez and the regional president of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, member of the Popular Party (PP, liberal-conservative), who have prioritized their political confrontation on people's lives to now blame themselves for this catastrophe. Despite the danger, Mazón maintained the alert at level 2. Sanchez, who could have overridden and decreed a state of emergency, did not do so, he said, so as not to encroach on the prerogatives of the autonomous community.
More than twelve hours passed between the alert given by the National Meteorological Agency (Aemet), at 7:31 a.m., and the message sent by regional authorities to the population's cell phones, at 8:03 p.m. , anyway ?
Yes, and the residents have not finished blaming the regional right who, to satisfy Vox, its ex-far-right climate skeptic ally, agreed to close the Valencian Emergency Response Unit, a public service put in place by the former left-wing majority.
Also in question is the artificialization of soils and the uncontrolled expansion of Valencia to the detriment of agricultural land…
This is not from yesterday. The province of Valencia has grown with tourism. Much has been built in flood zones, or even, as in Paiporta (south of Valencia), directly on the river (The Turia. The first development project aimed at preventing flooding in the region dates from 2009, but it is not never saw the light of day.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were booed on Sunday, along with Pedro Sanchez and Carlos Mazón. Did this surprise you?
I was shocked because, unlike Catalonia or the Basque Country, Valencia has a strong tradition of supporting the monarchy. I don't think the monarchy is meant as such. Simply, the fact that roads were cut to allow institutions to pass, when food is struggling to arrive and nearly 2,000 people are still missing, has aroused general indignation.
Do you think lessons will be learned from this disaster?
Politically, no. Leaders and opponents are multiplying their declarations to blame the opposing camp, but we are not resigning in Spain.
Organizationally, yes, probably. This tragedy revealed the weakness of the alert system, the result of a 1981 law. It will force institutions to organize themselves differently to better cooperate, whatever happens.
