Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addressed the Congress of Deputies in Madrid on Wednesday to discuss the government's response to the devastating floods in Valencia's region last month. Sanchez announced nearly 2.3 billion euros ($2.4 billion) in additional aid for the flood-affected area, defending his administration's actions during the crisis.

The European nation continues to recover from the floods that occurred on October 29, which claimed at least 229 lives, destroyed infrastructure, and devastated homes and businesses primarily in the eastern region of Valencia. Public outrage has been directed at elected officials for their perceived inadequate handling of the disaster.

Under Spain's decentralized government system, regions are responsible for disaster management. However, the situation has led to a blame game between Sanchez's leftist government and the conservative regional government of Valencia. Sanchez asserted that the Spanish government has fulfilled its responsibilities, stating, 'It has done so from the outset and continues to do so and will continue to do so for as long as necessary.'

The central government criticized the regional authorities for the delayed convening of an emergency coordination meeting and the late issuance of a mass alert. Meanwhile, Carlos Mazon, the head of the regional government and a member of the main opposition Popular Party (PP), claimed to have received 'insufficient, inaccurate, and late' information from state agencies. Mazon has faced criticism for attending a three-hour lunch on the day of the disaster, with emergency alerts being sent only after water had already flooded some towns.

Sanchez refuted claims that state bodies did not provide adequate information, highlighting that the state weather office AEMET had warned of heavy rain for days. He argued that while some aspects of Spain's decentralized system had failed, it was primarily due to the actions of individuals in high positions who did not meet their responsibilities, a veiled reference to Mazon.

The new aid package, totaling nearly 2.3 billion euros, brings the total disaster relief to 16.6 billion euros. It includes 465 million euros to assist in replacing damaged cars and 19 million euros for school materials. Public anger over the flood response led to mass protests on November 9, with the largest gathering in Valencia city attracting 130,000 people. Further protests are planned for this weekend.

Sanchez expressed openness to establishing a parliamentary commission to investigate the state's response to the floods but suggested it was not the appropriate time. Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the PP leader, criticized Sanchez for lacking self-criticism and blaming others, calling his approach 'a lack of humanity and humility.' The Bank of Spain estimates that the floods could reduce the country's GDP by 0.2 percentage points in the last quarter of the year.

Source link:   https://www.khaleejtimes.com