“Until January to return to some normality.” This is the prediction of experienced soldiers —who today works in the Valencian villages of the Ribera Baja region— on the advancement of reconstruction work in the areas affected by Dana. Some run local businesses with neighbors and individuals in the area, dedicating themselves from day one to recovering what they lost. In addition, as the days went by, they saw the support of all kinds of people coming to help (firefighters, soldiers, local police, volunteers…) from all over Spain. Autonomously and organized by their administrations at the regional level.
Even if it is complex to draw up a general map of the evolution of the works after the flood, since the area affects almost a third of the province of ValenciaAt the local level, Benetúser is one of the towns experiencing the most progress in Horta Sud. Being close to the center of the capital, she was the first to receive the wave of solidarity that began just three days after 29-0 and 29-0. The organization launched in This municipality was praised by army officers.
According to police sources, the first thing that was done was After the disaster, it was necessary to check the state of the population. As in most cities that suffered the direct impact of the wave arriving from within, it was catastrophic. These were the first moments of confusion, during which the heroic stories of local individuals and workers were repeated one after the other. Indeed, some Civil Protection agents threw themselves into the water while the water was still flowing, just like dozens of neighbors to save their lives and that of anyone in danger. Looting and theft also took place, taking advantage of the general lack of control.
After this first step, the coordinated command between the Police Prefecture and the Town Hall He worked to locate the saved spaces and plan them. In this case, the Blasco Ibáñez school was the place where the tasks of collecting and redistributing supplies were centralized. From food and water to medicines, cleaning products or even medical, psychological and veterinary care. They also serve meals to anyone who helps.
A management, supervised by the local corporation, but whose specific decision-making (as is the case with the entry and exit of vans) is often falling on the shoulders of neighbors from the region, who did not stop for a moment, even to try to address the tragedies they are experiencing in their homes. “I have half a centimeter of mud in the car and it’s the only one in the family who was saved,” says one of them, who has been there for more than ten days.
This is why the mental load between them begins to weigh. Their reaction led them to take on responsibilities they had never hadit was therefore envisaged that the army itself would be in charge of command. However, according to officials who visited the site, they cannot take responsibility for controlling supplies because they do not have police powers. Something they could do if a state of alarm was declared, as in the case of the covid19 pandemic.
Thus, the bird’s eye view necessary to resolve the complex logistical problem derived from flooding It is in the eyes of municipal elected officials. In addition to the Blasco Ibáñez, the Health Center has already reopened its doors and other areas of interest have been developed, such as an open field that serves as a cemetery for cars and damage, which was removed to leave the roads free for the passage of heavy machinery. enter. They have been managing the map of the entire area since day zero and in its evolution, the color change from red to green is seen at a general level. A reality that can also be seen in the street.
According to information provided to ABC by police sources, this does not appear likely to change. “They come to place themselves under our orders,” they say about the coordination between local level officials and the Armed Forces.
Actually, facing the heavy rains expected tomorrowprevention work is already underway. The enormous quantities of sludge that were evacuated and which still remain in many streets of municipalities such as Massanassa or Catarroja, ended up in the sewers. There are fears that the rain, due to its blocking, could cause further flooding. “We will arrive in time so that when the waters arrive, they will flow again,” explain those responsible for cleaning and unblocking the pipes, who warn of the danger for the lowlands, which could be flooded again with water. water.
