While criticism abounds in Spain over the management of the tragic floods of October 29 in the Valencia region, the Prime Minister was keen to make his priorities known on this crisis on Monday. Pedro Sánchez thus assured that the “political debate” had to wait because, according to him, it was necessary to rebuild first.
On Saturday, a demonstration brought together some 130,000 people in Valencia to demand the resignation of the president of the regional executive Carlos Mazón and also criticize the management of the disaster by the central government.
Sánchez insists on “climate emergency”
“The government is doing what it has to do. And what we must do is rebuild after this tragedy and revive economic and social activity,” the head of government declared Monday during a press conference. “Later, the political debate will focus on things to improve in the face of this climate emergency and, without doubt, in the face of taking political responsibilities which, of course, will have to be justified.”
“The lesson to be learned is that we are facing a climate emergency that will demand the best of us,” he added, calling for “listening to the science and learning from it” and “strengthening public services to provide an effective and equitable response to natural disasters.
Since these deadly floods which left 222 dead, criticism has particularly targeted Carlos Mazón, accused of having been slow to react even though the Spanish Meteorological Agency (Aemet) had issued a red alert on the morning of October 29. If he has ruled out the idea of resigning, he must be heard by the Valencian regional parliament on Thursday, to speak about his management of the disaster.
Insults and mud throwing
The Prime Minister was not spared in the ranks of the demonstration on Saturday evening in Valencia either. Pedro Sánchez and Carlos Mazón were also alongside sovereigns Felipe VI and Letizia during their visit to a devastated area on November 3, during which everyone was targeted with insults and mud throwing, a sign of exasperation. disaster victims.
In terms of reconstruction and aid to disaster victims, 110 new measures were approved on Monday during a Council of Ministers, for a total amount of nearly 3.8 billion euros. This aid comes in addition to a previous package of 10.6 billion euros presented last week by the Prime Minister.
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On the ground, thousands of volunteers, soldiers, police, civil guards and members of the emergency services are still hard at work repairing infrastructure, distributing aid and searching for dozens of missing people. These operations could be disrupted by the arrival of new precipitation, which led Aemet to classify part of the Valencia region on orange alert on Wednesday for possible “torrential rains”.
