Spain announces measures to rebuild flood-struck Valencia, adapt to climate change

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - A week after historic floods devastated the province of Valencia, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday announced a massive aid package to help affected residents and businesses rebuild and adapt to the changing climate.

“Climate change kills and we are witnessing it,” said Sanchez. “We will drive forward a transformation to adapt the territory to the climate emergency, which unfortunately particularly affects our dear Mediterranean area.”

Last Tuesday, a strong storm system caused record-breaking rainfall that burst river banks inland, causing tsunami-like waters to flow rapidly toward the sea.

Emergency alerts arrived too late, and residents in most areas were caught off guard.

At least 217 bodies have been recovered, and authorities are still prioritizing search and rescue missions.

The number of missing still has not been made public.

Nearly 15,000 military personnel and national police are on the ground working to find the missing, maintain security, and restore hygiene and basic services in the affected areas.

“There are still missing people we need to find, homes and businesses that have been destroyed – buried under mud – and many people are still severely lacking,” he admitted at a press conference.

​​​​​​​Many of the financial measures announced Tuesday are recycled from the COVID-19 pandemic. Sanchez announced direct money transfers to affected homes and businesses, billions of euros of government-backed loans, and significant fiscal breaks.

Sanchez said insurance payments are expected to reach an unprecedented €3.5 billion ($3.8 billion) and that 70,000 claims have already been made.

“Spain has always offered the European Union help when it was needed, but now, Spain is asking for help,” said Sanchez, announcing that the country has requested aid from the EU's Solidarity Fund.

The lack of prevention and slow cleanup efforts have been criticized by flood survivors and their families.

On Sunday, Sanchez, the president of Valencia, and Spain’s king and queen were attacked by an angry mob while visiting a hard-hit town. Mud and insults were hurled, Sanchez was struck, and an official vehicle was damaged.

While Sanchez acknowledged the legitimate anger, he said radical groups flocked to the scene to “do as much damage as possible to the authorities who were there.”

“I’m fine, and they will not take my attention away from what matters — the affected citizens,” he added.