“I had just stocked up on items for the Christmas holidays. Bags, dresses, jewelry, wallets, everything was soiled by mud or washed away by water. It’s irrecoverable”laments Carmina Redondo, 68, her voice broken by sobs.
Owner of the Tienda Ibor leather goods and gift shop which had been established for fifty years in Algemesi, a small town located 35 kilometers south of Valencia, Mme Redondo hoped to retire in two years, and was holding out. “To help my son, one of whose children is severely disabled, and because I have not reached the thirty-eight years of contributions required to have a full retirement”she explains. “I don’t know if I will have the strength to start all over again”adds this woman, looking with sadness at the designer bags and flamenco dresses stained with mud.
Since the floods which devastated the province of Valencia on October 29 and caused 215 dead and 78 missing, according to the latest reports, all businesses in the city remain closed, including the large Mercadona supermarket, whose officials have estimated the time needed to repair the damage and reopen the doors at one month.
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The Spanish government unveiled an aid plan for disaster victims and businesses in 75 affected municipalities (as well as two in Castile-La Mancha and one in Andalusia), for an amount of 10.6 billion euros, Tuesday November 5 , after the council of ministers officially declared a state of natural disaster in the region. It is “a first step”specified the Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, intended to alleviate the emergency, rebuild what can be done and support the victims. “We are talking about very high numbers. Part of this aid will be requested from the European Union, but it will also come from our public accounts, which is why we will request a review of the objectives for reducing the deficit and public debt.specified the socialist leader.
The priority displayed by Madrid is that the aid arrives“with as little paperwork as possible and as quickly as possible”according to Mr. Sanchez, based on the model of the means implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As in 2020, the idea is to do everything to support businesses and maintain employment through partial unemployment mechanisms, exemptions from social contributions and working time arrangements, as well as the provision of a credit line of 5 billion euros. Employees affected physically but also psychologically by the floods or their consequences will be able to benefit from a work stoppage paid at 75% of their salary. Nearly 840 million euros could also be released to compensate some 30,000 companies – at the rate of 10,000 to 150,000 euros each, depending on their turnover – and 65,000 self-employed people – to whom 5,000 euros will be paid.
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