At least 140 people have died in the devastating floods that occurred these days in Spain and that have especially affected the Valencian Community, where most of the deceased are, Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia, government sources have informed EFE. The latest official figures maintained the total number of deaths in the province of Valencia at 92.
The storm left historical records in the province of Valencia, with more than 500 liters per square meter in some areas, and which this Thursday is hitting the interior-north of the province of Castellón – they are in a red alert situation and have already fallen more than 200 liters per square meter in the town of Tírig-.
Despite the fact that from the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Spanish Meteorological Agency (Aemet) warned of the red alert level, with the risk that this entailed, and that at mid-morning the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) warned of possible overflows of the Magro and Túria rivers, and the Poyo rambla, due to the flooding of the channels in the municipalities of the lower part, the Generalitat Valenciana did not send the generalized alert system to the mobile phones of all citizens in the province of Valencia until 8:12 p.m., when there were already hundreds of people trapped by water in the affected municipalities.
Direct aid for those affected
President Mazón announced this Thursday that next week the Consell will approve a bill to mobilize 250 million euros (expandable) in aid for those affected by the storm that is devastating the Valencian territory. As the head of the Consell has announced, this is direct and “express, without bureaucracy” aid, compatible with that enabled by other administrations, so that whoever needs it can count on 6,000 euros to deal with urgent material damage.
In addition, tax deductions will be offered for the purchase and rehabilitation of houses, while the IVF (Valencian Institute of Finance) will offer 0% lines of credit and social aid will be launched especially aimed at dependents and highly vulnerable people, as well as also relocations and changes of residence.
On Tuesday morning, the President of the Government visited the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (CECOPI) of the Valencian Community. Sánchez has reiterated the “maximum commitment to the Generalitat Valenciana” as well as “all possible resources as long as necessary.” “We send a message of absolute collaboration and cooperation. Any more resources you need, the Government of Spain is here. We are not going to leave the Valencians alone. The priority is to find the missing, first, and then put all the resources into reconstruction,” he noted.
Damage to road and railway infrastructure
The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, confirmed this Thursday that a large part of the road network in the province of Valencia is “seriously damaged”, very significant damage that “will take a long time to replace, and not just financially.” In this sense, recovering circulation on the A-7 may take “months,” with 80 kilometers of the State’s road network affected by “mountains of vehicles.”
On the high-speed line between Madrid and Valencia, 1.2 kilometers of infrastructure will have to be replaced, explained Puente, who reported that it is still not possible to know “how far the damage extends.” However, the high-speed network is scheduled to be restored on Monday, “if we don’t find anything more serious.” Another thing is the situation of the Cercanías, which the minister has described as “very serious”: “Of the five lines, three are missing, C1, C2 and C3. “We don’t have them, in C3, 45 kilometers are completely destroyed.”
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