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CostaBlancaPeople 5th November - 11th November 2024
5TH NOVEMBER - 11TH NOVEMBER 2024 - EDITION 1068
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Anger accompanies King´s visit to DANA hit towns
A convoy including King Felipe, the Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the President of the Valencian Community Carlos Mazon was pelted with stones and mud as the dignitaries visited the villages worst hit by the DANA on Sunday. Residents are furious that they have been left without official aid for the five days since the storm wreaked
devastation. The Prime Minister was led away from crowds in Paiporta after an object struck him in the back. Dozens of residents waited for the procession with the monarchs at the front to heckle them, throw stones and mud at them shouting “murderers, murderers”, “they are not deaths, they are murders.”
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The atmosphere in the municipality of l’Horta Sud was already heated long before the official visit. The residents have lost everything, and they are working non-stop, cleaning streets, bailing out garages and removing junk from houses. Few expected the royal visit. “We want to work, clean the town, go now,” the residents shouted. “You’re bothering us!” The situation quickly deteriorated, and the security officers accompanying the procession created a security cordon to guarantee the safety of the group. Both the King and Queen, as well as Sánchez and Mazón, tried to mediate with the population gathered in a street flooded with mud. Queen Letizia was sprayed with water from a hose and rest of the representatives were soaked in mud. The anger stems from the lack of warning given to local communities.
AEMET was aware of a potential DANA as early as 8am, however the warning from Civil Protection did not arrive until 8pm, when thousands of people were already fighting to survive. People believe many lives would not have been lost if people had the time to prepare or evacuate. Cost-cutting is also emerging as another potential culprit, with Carlos Mazón forced to defend his decision to eliminate the Valencia Emergency Unit (UVE) on the grounds that it was inefficient. The UVE was created by the previous, left-wing government, in order to respond to weather-related emergencies such as flooding or wildfires. On taking office last year, Mr Mazón immediately got rid of it, with his People’s Party (PP) describing the agency as “a shady outfit”. In a statement, the trade union
Intersindical attacked the decision, saying that “by prioritising shortterm interests, they contribute to environmental decay and aggravate the effects of extreme weather phenomena”. The second source of anger aimed at the visiting officials has to do with the helplessness of the days after the tragedy. One of the most heard questions in Paiporta, Catarroja, Bentusser or La Torre has been: “Where are the soldiers?” Residents say that the only help has come from volunteers and acts of solidarity as donations start to reach the areas where they are most needed.