Spain will honour the victims of last year’s devastating ‘DANA’ floods in Valencia with a state memorial service to coincide with the anniversary of what officials describe as the country’s worst disaster in decades, government sources confirmed on Monday. ALSO READ: Royals attend memorial service [December 2024] in Valencia for victims of flooding.
The memorial is scheduled for 29 October at Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences complex, marking exactly one year since raging floodwaters claimed 236 lives and caused severe damage to infrastructure. Click here for all our reports related to the Valencia Floods.
The devastation across the eastern Valencia region sparked public anger over how the disaster was handled, fuelling tensions between Spain’s central government and the regional authorities, which belong to rival political camps. ALSO READ: Tens of thousands rally against leader of flood-hit Valencia – the 5th major protest.
The Spanish government has until now put together aid packages collectively worth €16.6 billion in grants and loans to help stricken citizens of the Valencia floods. ALSO READ: Sánchez announces a further €3.8bn in flood aid as anger at leaders grows.
To support Spain in the aftermath of the storm, the EU has also advanced €100 million from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF). These funds are intended for the repair of key infrastructure like water, energy, healthcare, education, telecommunications systems, as well as cultural heritage restoration and clean-up operations.
Additionally, the European Commission is still reviewing documents submitted by the Spanish government that detail further expenditures eligible under the EUSF – with Madrid estimating the total at over €4 billion. The final figure for EU financial aid is yet to be confirmed. ALSO READ: Spain’s central government to cover €1.7bn cost to rebuild all ‘municipal infrastructure’ in flood-hit Valencia.
Experts point to human-driven climate change as a factor intensifying extreme weather events such as the torrential downpours that unleashed last year’s floods. The crisis was worsened by unusually warm waters in the Mediterranean. ALSO READ: Study finds climate change made Spain’s wildfires 40 times more likely.
Scientists note that the world’s oceans have absorbed around 90% of the excess heat generated by human activity since the industrial era began.
Following a summer marked by record-breaking wildfires that scorched vast areas of Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has put forward a proposal for a nationwide agreement on climate change.
‘Having wildfires of this magnitude, having (storms) like the ones we experience in autumn and winter, shows that the climate emergency affecting the world is accelerating and worsening, especially on the Iberian Peninsula,’ Sánchez said when unveiling the plan. ALSO READ: Spanish PM admits wildfire prevention plans are ‘clearly insufficient’.
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