The news that the government was “considering” declaring a national emergency because of DANA, but refused to do so “so as not to take control of the President of the Valencian Community” cannot simply be accepted by Spanish citizens .
The basic regulations for managing natural disasters such as DANA are threefold.
The first instrument is the State General Emergency Civil Protection Plan (PLEGEM).
The second, the law of the National Civil Protection System (SNPC).
The third, the Basic Civil Protection Standard (NB).
In its article 28, the SNPC defines national emergencies as those:
1. Which require the application of states of alarm, exception and siege for the protection of people and property.
2. In which it is necessary to provide for the coordination of the different administrations because they affect several autonomous communities and require a contribution of resources at the supra-autonomous level.
3. What because of its actual or foreseeable dimensions They require national leadership.
Just one of these conditions is enough for the government to declare a national emergency.
On Tuesday evening, the first images of the damage caused by DANA confirmed that conditions 2 and 3 were met for the government to declare a national emergency. and that the damage far exceeded the capacities of an autonomous community.
This declaration would have entrusted the political direction of the crisis to the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande Marlaskaand operational management in the hands of the lieutenant general of the UME.
The government’s refusal to declare a state of national emergency, hiding behind the autonomy of powers, cannot be justified without further delay.
Firstly, because the civil protection rules explicitly allow the government to assume command in situations like the one experienced in the Valencian Community since Tuesday, and which far exceeded the damage and number of victims caused by previous environmental disasterslike that of the Filomena storm, that of the eruption of the La Palma volcano, or even that of other DANAs.
Second, out of simple common sense. If the situation experienced today in the Valencian Community does not deserve to be considered a national emergency, what catastrophe would be necessary for the government to assume its responsibility and take charge of rescue and civil protection operations?
How is it, in short, that personalities like Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron either Nayib Bukele have offered their help to the government in the face of evidence that what happened in Spain is an unprecedented catastrophe, but that the government has evaded its duty by pretending to want to avoid an imaginary battle for power?
For the survivors of DANA, who were still desperately demanding basic necessities like water, food, medicine and security from yesterday’s looting, the political battle matters little to them. All the more so since it is legitimate to suspect that this battle over the boundaries of jurisdiction is only a pretext to place the responsibility for the disaster entirely on the political rival.
“We are facing a national emergency. All state resources are necessary,” he declared. Alberto Nuñez Feijóo. EL ESPAÑOL shares the opinion of the opposition leader and calls on the government to assume its responsibilities.
Because the one who is left to his fate with the refusal to declare a national state of emergency is not Mazón, but the citizen victims of DANA.
