Spain approves €10.6bn relief package after devastating floods

world
Spain Approves €10.6Bn Relief Package After Devastating Floods
Authorities are worried about health problems caused by the aftermath of the deadliest natural disaster in Spain’s recent history. Photo: AP
Share this article

By Hernan Munoz, Associated Press

Spain’s central government approved a €10.6 billion relief package for 78 communities on Tuesday that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez compared with measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic.

They include direct payments of €20,000 to €60,000 to owners of damaged homes, among other financial aid for businesses and municipal governments.

Advertisement

“We have a lot of work left to do, and we know it,” Mr Sanchez said.

Mr Sanchez said he will ask the European Union to help pay for the relief.

Thousands of soldiers are working with firefighters and police reinforcements in the immense emergency response in areas of eastern Spain, including hard-hit Valencia.

Advertisement
People shovel away mud after floods in Catarroja, Spain
People shovel away mud on Tuesday after floods in Catarroja on the outskirts of Valencia (Alberto Saiz/AP)

Officers and troops are searching in destroyed homes, the countless cars strewn across highways, streets, or in the mud in canals and gorges.

Authorities are worried about other health problems caused by the aftermath of the deadliest natural disaster in Spain’s recent history.

They have urged people to get tetanus shots and to treat any wounds to prevent infections and to clean the mud from their skin. Many people wear face masks.

Advertisement

Thousands of volunteers are helping out, filling the void left by authorities. But the frustration over the crisis management boiled over on Sunday when a crowd in hard-hit Paiporta hurled mud and other objects at Spain’s royals, the prime minister and regional officials when they made their first visit to the epicentre of the flood damage.

Read More

Message submitting... Thank you for waiting.

Want us to email you top stories each lunch time?

Download our Apps
© BreakingNews.ie 2024, developed by Square1 and powered by PublisherPlus.com