Funds for Llevant floods

THE Council of Ministers has authorised a payment of €18 million in aid for the damages caused by the severe floods which ravaged the Llevant area in Mallorca last year.
Pedro Sánchez, the acting Prime Minister of Spain, took advantage of his electoral rally in Palma last week to make the announcement. Accompanied by PSOE colleagues, the Mayor of Palma and members of Congress, Sánchez confirmed that the state will cover a large proportion of the costs which were spent to repair the infrastructure and public facilities in the affected municipalities.
The floods of October 9 constitute as one of the most serious tragedies caused by rain to take place in Spain over the last 25 years. Claiming the lives of 13 people and injuring several others, numerous houses and roadways were also left severely damaged.
In the days after the flooding, it is reported that authorities removed over 4,200 tons of rubble and debris, carrying out twenty-three actions on the roads. Sant Llorenç was the worst affected town, with Artà, Manacor, Capdepera and Son Servera also suffering huge devastation.
The impact of the downpour was exacerbated by geography, infrastructure and the difficulty of forecasting the disaster. Experts at the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) estimated that a torrential rain of this magnitude only repeats itself once in every 1,000 years.