An Emergency session of the municipal plenary session held in Orihuela on Monday has declared the municipality as an area seriously affected by a Civil Protection emergency, following the devastation caused in the region by the Gota Fria.
The motion was approved unanimously by all the political groups that make up the Municipal Corporation (Popular Party, Socialist Party, Citizens, Change Orihuela and Vox).
The declaration must now be passed by the Council of Ministers, which will entitle the town to the following aid:
- Financial assistance to individuals for damage to housing and basic necessities.
- Compensation to Local Corporations for expenses derived from their actions.
- Aid to people who have carried out the personal or property assistance
- Aid for industrial, commercial and service establishments.
- Subsidies for damage to municipal infrastructure, and road network.
- Aid for damages in agriculture, livestock, forestry and marine.
- Opening of preferential loan lines subsidised by the Official Credit Institute.
In addition, fiscal measures and labour and social security measures may be approved.
Following the Plenary agreement, the mayor of Orihuela, Emilio Bascuñana, highlighted “the valuable assistance that is being provided of all the institutions, volunteers, companies that are heling the municipality to recover from this difficult situation”
At the same time he said that “we need the help of all the institutions to rebuild affected areas, and we need this aid to be given as quickly as possible. We have experienced a catastrophe and many of our people are desolate, but Orihuela and Vega Baja have courage and we will move forward.”
Municipal basic services
Bascuñana also said that the Government Team held a meeting on Sunday to coordinate the implementation of basic municipal services, thus initiating the provision of damage assessment by municipal technicians in health facilities, educational centres and municipal buildings, as well as confirming safe access to them “to ensure the safety and integrity of their users before they are reopened.”
Likewise, the Office of attention to the people affected by the floods will be opened soon from which all the relevant information will be provided through the official channels as well as Social Networks, website, and through the media.
