“We have not forgotten you.” A month later, the southeast of Spain continues to suffer from floods that left 230 dead and enormous damage in dozens of towns where a return to normality is still pending.
To pay tribute to the victims, around twenty rallies are organized on the afternoon of Friday, November 29 in the Valencian Community, one month after the tragedy. “We came to pay tribute to all the deaths of October 29,” a resident of the region told BFMTV, in front of hundreds of candles left by local residents.
“Those responsible did not pay”
Precisely at 8:11 p.m., the cell phones of the numerous people gathered in Valencia rang. A symbolic hour since it is the hour at which the authorities of the region, by far the most affected with 222 victims, ended up launching an alert on the population’s cell phones to inform them of the danger, more than twelve hours after the alert. the National Meteorological Agency.
Residents’ anger, pointing to both the delay in issuing the warning before the disaster and the handling of aid, remains strong.
“Those responsible did not pay, they did not resign. They did nothing. They abandoned us, we remain abandoned. The town is destroyed, a month has already passed,” criticizes a resident.
“We are starting to see the ground and the streets, there is still a lot to do. There have to be consequences. People who have not done their job must pay,” says another.
16.6 billion euros in aid
In total, as announced by the Spanish Minister of Economy, 69,000 homes, 125,000 vehicles and 12,500 businesses were affected by the floods.
“There is still a lot of work to do, there are hundreds of flooded garages and basements, damaged buildings, closed businesses, closed roads, entire towns that have not yet returned to normal life,” acknowledged the president of the Socialist Government, Pedro Sánchez.
In total, the government has promised 16.6 billion euros in aid and loans, and thousands of soldiers, firefighters and police are deployed in cleanup and reconstruction operations, without completely silencing the criticism directed at politicians since the tragedy.
Proof that discontent is still strong, a new demonstration will take place this Saturday, November 30 in Valencia, where some 130,000 people had already paraded at the beginning of the month to demand the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón and denounce the management considered chaotic. for the relief efforts of the Government of Pedro Sánchez.
Source: BFM TV
