Emergency funding for storm repairs in Andalucia

THE Junta de Andalucia has approved a €75 million packet of emergency assistance to deal with the extreme weather damage.

The regional government President Juanma Moreno said the extraordinary funding was necessary so that affected areas in Almeria and elsewhere in Andalucia, could return to normality following the torrential downpours and flooding.

“I hope that the Government of Spain is also equal to the task and soon approves financial resources which reinforce the rapid response of the Junta de Andalucia”, Moreno commented on Twitter.

Of the €75 million, local councils in the more than 130 affected municipalities will receive €10 million directly.

The lion’s share of the money, €48 million, will be allocated to repairing greenhouses, repairing rural roads and cleaning up watercourses. The remaining cash has been earmarked for returning regional highways to their pre-storm conditions.

The severe weather also damaged some health and education infrastructure in Almeria. The Torrecardenas hospital in Almeria city needs more than €42,000 of repairs.

“We are aware of the suffering of affected people”, Moreno tweeted, confirming that the Junta’s government council had approved requesting that municipalities hit hardest by the severe weather are declared catastrophe zone.