The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaskainsisted on the “present and future commitment” of the central government with Valencia with the sending of 500 additional military personnel to the areas most affected by DANA starting tomorrow.
He spoke thus after the meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi) of 112 of the Valencian Community in L’Eliana (Valencia), accompanied by the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazon.
The Valencian president also announced that he was studying restrictive measures to prevent the movement of private vehicles to the most affected areas, as “essential” roads for relief professionals are collapsing.
The minister joined the emergency coordination team on a “permanent” basis since Friday, after Mazón requested the incorporation of the army “to reinforce logistical tasks and the distribution of aid to the population.”
During his speech, he expressed the “maximum support of the State for the management of this serious emergency” and noted that all troops are working to access the most complicated places.
Thousands of people travel from Valencia to La Torre to help those affected by the floods caused by DANA this Friday
In this sense, he assured that during the day of this Friday it is possible to access areas that until now were in secret.
As he explained, the priority is “to locate the missing and the victims”, which They now stand at 202according to the latest official data from the Valencian government.
Concerning the means deployed, the Head of the Interior assured that there was 1,700 EMU troopsto which were added Thursday 500 displaced soldiers. Other corps, the troops of The National Police active in the area number 1,800 and the civil guards, 750.plus the 280 members of the reserve and security group.
Rescue
Marlaska announced that more than 4,500 people. “We will allocate all the necessary resources,” he said, while emphasizing the collaboration between the different administrations involved in the emergency.
President Mazón, for his part, stressed that resources will be requested based on the “x-rays” that professionals in the field take.
He joined the minister in emphasizing that the priority continues to be the rescue of victims and the removal of vehicles to free access channels. The second objective, as he assured, is to return essential supplies and products to all those affected.
Neighbors of Paiporta receive water distributed by the Army this Friday
In addition, the Valencian Government has launched several channels to channel solidarity. The numbers are as follows: for the Utiel sector, 659289726; for Horta Sur, 682177249; for Ribera, 619975059; for Hoya, 690027099; and for Castellón, 679161664.
The situation continues to be complicated in the most affected municipalities, such as the Valencia metropolitan area, where hundreds of volunteers make pilgrimages from the capital to bring supplies and collaborate in cleaning efforts.
“Come Home”
Faced with this wave, the Generalitat asked citizens “not to go to the affected areas because the access roads are collapsing and emergency services cannot access them.”
“People are taking to the streets and collapsing, with the best will and good faith, but it is imperative that they return home,” Mazón said during his appearance after the Cecopi meeting.
In Paiportaone of the most affected cities, its mayor confirmed to Efe the death of 62 people. The Civil Guard of Valencia has installed an exclusive point for collecting reports of missing persons in the Municipal Auditorium of Paiporta.
Last Tuesday, the Government already activated the EMUat the request of the Generalitat, to remedy the situation in the Utiel area (Valencia), at the start of the storm, following the overflow of the Magro river in the municipal area.
The Ministry of Defense has expanded the military deployment in the Valencian Community to reach 1,700 military personnel to deal with the effects of DANA, which caused, according to the latest official data, 202 deaths.
