The president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, called this Wednesday to strengthen public institutions and services to respond to emergencies such as DANA and warned: “Let us not forget that we are vulnerable, that zero risk does not exist.” Illa has stressed that the Government acted with “prudence and maximum caution” and has defended that the alerts to mobile phones that were sent to the inhabitants of 17 Catalan regions were activated “duly.”
Only two days after DANA gave its last blows in Catalonia and generated several mobility problems that could be solved on Monday, the president of the Generalitat has appeared in Parliament to give an account of his management and advance the next steps of the Executive, which involves improving civil protection plans and a review of activities in flood zones.
Catalonia will force municipalities to have a civil protection plan in two years, will update its emergency model, will review activities in flood-prone areas and will allocate help to compensate for economic damage in the most affected areas. Illa has specified that of the 521 municipalities that must have a civil protection plan, there are 225 that already have one in force, another 238 have it expired and 60 more do not have it.
“Let us not forget that we are vulnerable, that zero risk does not exist. We live in wealthy societies, but not in zero-risk societies. There are vulnerabilities and lately we have had a lot of evidence, such as the pandemic, the La Palma volcano and now the Dana. Let’s not forget, that sometimes we believe we are supermen and no, we are vulnerable,” Illa stressed, reports EFE.
The opposition has avoided clashing with Salvador Illa’s Government over its management of DANA, although its investiture partners, ERC and the Comuns, as well as the CUP, have asked for more ambition to confront the climate crisis. The groups have agreed to thank the Government for how it has kept them informed during this episode of rain.
Junts and the parties on the left wing of the chamber have, on the other hand, censored the actions of the Valencian Generalitat, something that Illa has avoided. According to the president, it is up to Valencians to “hold President Carlos Mazón accountable” for his management of DANA.
Junts spokesperson, Mònica Sales, has requested a full monograph to address how to update emergency and prevention policies, as well as a working meeting between the Government and the groups to agree on how to allocate aid to the Valencian Community from now on. He has also praised the Catalan emergency system, which he has defined as a “reference”.
On behalf of ERC, spokesperson Marta Vilalta has defended that it is better to send alerts in advance than to do so “late”, and has asked to “better instruct citizens” on what should be done when these messages are received. On the other hand, it has proposed establishing a study commission to analyze how to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis.
The president of the popular group, Alejandro Fernández, has pointed out the attention offered by 112 as an area for improvement for future similar episodes and has regretted that the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) has “pending works” to undertake.
The president of the Comuns group, Jéssica Albiach, has warned Illa that the climate crisis cannot be faced “neither with denialism nor with retardation”: “You have not used the word climate change even once.” , he reproached him. And on behalf of the CUP, deputy Laia Estrada has called for “putting an end” to “the developmental policy that autonomism has perpetuated” and always legislating taking into account the climate emergency.
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