Generalitat Speeds up Aid for Dana Amid Government's Delay

Four months after the DANA, different administrations are striving to compile the aid granted to those affected by the flood. Generalitat released the data of the grants awarded to the affected individuals, which amount to 419 million euros. This amount represents, according to Consell, 46% of the allocated budget, set at 916 million, intended for companies, freelancers, essential goods, vehicles, infrastructures, or the cultural sector, among other concepts.

Generalitat values this figure because, as they explain, the central Government has only executed 8% of the money allocated for the reconstruction of the DANA, which translates to 1.137 billion euros distributed among housing, freelancers, university students, ICO guarantees and, above all, municipalities. The total aid planned by the central Executive amounts to 14.441 billion euros, not counting the funds provided by the Insurance Consortium for damaged vehicles.

Consell also details that 154,882 aids have been requested, of which 115,886 have already been paid. They argue that the regional funds have had "greater agility in their resolution" and the disbursement has been "more effective". Additionally, they highlight that the diversification of aid in specific lines for municipalities, freelancers with and without employees, housing rental, and essential goods cover a wide range of "real" needs of those affected.

Some regional aids are added to those planned by the Government, such as the line for freelancers, for which the Executive has allocated 329 million euros and 25,692 aids have already been requested. The largest state allocation, of 685 million, is intended for municipalities for the reconstruction of damaged public infrastructures such as cultural centers, sports facilities, or auditoriums.

Generalitat also criticizes that it hasn't received the "non-repayable" aid from the State for the reconstruction of infrastructures in regions like l'Horta, la Ribera, la Hoya de Buñol, Camp de Túria, and Utiel-Requena, and denounces that 28 Valencian municipalities with 80,000 inhabitants have been excluded from the state aid plan despite the damages suffered.