Alex Trelinski
PRIME Minister Pedro Sanchez has appealed to Valencia and Castellon province residents to stay at home, as more heavy rain was forecast for Thursday.
On a visit to Valencia’s emergency centre, Sanchez said: “The DANA continues, do not go out, and listen to what the emergency services say and follow their advice.”
Before a joint news conference with Valencian president, Carlos Mazon, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of the flood victims.
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In his speech, Sanchez said that since the Valencian Community raised the emergency status to level 2, the Government has mobilised ‘a huge amount of resources and troops’.
The Prime Minister said there are more than 1,100 UME troops who have been deployed, 1,800 Policia Nacional officers, 750 members of the Guardia Civil, 200 army soldiers as well as 335 vehicles, helicopters and planes.
Sanchez also thanked all the member states of the European Union, which ‘ are offering resources and aid to respond as effectively as possible to this tragedy.’
Carlos Mazon thanked Sanchez for his quick visit to region and said they had both been in regular contact from the start of the emergency.
Mazon said: “This collaboration and coordination are fundamental and we will continue with this.”
He also praised the work of the state troops and those from other regions, as well as authorities in the region.
The DANA that is mainly affecting the eastern Spain has so far left 95 deaths, of which 92 are in the Valencian Community.
The death toll makes it one of the biggest natural disasters in the last 75 years, ahead of the campsite flood in Biescas (Huesca) in 1996 which resulted in 87 deaths and the Valencia-Turia flood 67 years ago where between 80 and 100 people lost their lives.
