High Commissioner will ‘fast-track’ flood area rebuilding as minister says Valencia president was too slow to respond in early hours of disaster

THE national government will appoint a High Commissioner to oversee reconstruction work in DANA-hit Valencia province.

The announcement was made in Congress on Wednesday by the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Angel Victor Torres, who also took aim at Valencia president, Carlos Mazon for not responding fast enough in the early hours of the disaster.

The High Commissioner’s job will be to fast-track rebuilding projects ‘promptly’ in Valencia following the recent floods.

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Torres did not say when the position will start but said the commissioner would have ‘a specific and reinforced civil servant structure for streamlining and prompt response’.

The post-holder would get ‘everything needed’ to get the best out of the government as well as access to EU and other funds.

Torres proclaimed to Congress: “Spain is facing a drama that is historic, facing a huge challenge, and there is no room for complacency,

“We owe it to the victims, to the relatives, to the volunteers, to the public servants and to all citizens,” he added.

Despite his words, there’s still a lot of anger over the poor response to the Valencia floods, and over who should have done what.

Torres defended the government’s management of the crisis while pointing out that under-fire Valencian president Carlos Mazon delayed in issuing alerts and requesting help from the army.

He said when the request for activation of the Emergency Military Unit for Valencia province was received at 8.36pm on October 29, ‘there had already been significant rains and floods and the situation was objectively dramatic’.

Torres added that everything was put at the disposal of the Valencian government and that there was no sense in declaring a ‘national emergency’ in the form of a State of Alarm last seen during the Covid pandemic.

“This would have restricted citizen movement which after a catastrophe has no logic,” he commented.