More than €10 million for homes on La Palma

The government has allocated €10.5 million for the acquisition of homes and basic necessities on the volcanic island of La Palma.

The aid is the first part of an emergency package for La Palma approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, September 28.

More than 600 buildings and hundreds of hectares of farmland have been destroyed by lava flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano which began erupting on the evening of Sunday 19, September. Scientists say the eruption could last between 24 and 84 days.

At least 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. The government notes that at least 500 homes have no chance of being rebuilt in their original locations.

Felipe Lagarejo, one of the specialist psychologists of the Group of Psychological Intervention in Emergencies and Catastrophes (GIPEC) that attends to the victims in La Palma, told Spanish news agency Efe, “We are seeing people in shock at losing their homes, belongings and memories of a lifetime, so it is necessary to intervene in the face of stress and suffering from the loss, and to avoid what could be the worst of the consequences, post-traumatic stress.”

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