Just five minutes. There is no time for more. They got up has been able to speak with one of the agents of the Civil Guard who works in the rescue efforts in Paiporta (Valencia), the ‘ground zero’ of the DANA catastrophe. “Now it’s time to give up”explains this official who has been working tirelessly since the first hours of the tragedy. A tragedy of “incalculable dimensions” that “will never be forgotten.”
The mud has cracked his hands. Tiredness is taking its toll but they know they can’t stop. Every minute, every hour is key to searching for missing people. They don’t want to charge for the hours they are doing because they only have one objective: “Help”.
Paiporta, a “war zone”
The dedication of these civil guards is such that the marathon shifts last from nine at night until well into the next day. Despite this, they are happy with their desire to serve the hundreds of thousands of people who are suffering from the DANA tragedy.
They have experienced bitter moments such as the discovery of several bodies under a car on the A-3. They have also been able to remove elderly people who were presumed dead from their homes. Paiporta is a “war zone”. “The images do not show the reality of the tagedia,” explains one of these officials.
The brief conversation with this agent at times becomes impossible due to the cuts. Coverage has not yet fully recovered. In the few free moments they have, they download the “impotence” of the tragedy they are experiencing. “Cry, just cry without saying a word,” that’s how they spend their off-duty hours.
A few minutes later, this guard has to disconnect the call. You must continue with your companions to search the areas and help the survivors remove mud and dismantle the houses that have been devastated by the storm.
The rescues of the Civil Guard
The Civil Guard has carried out a total of 4,700 rescues and aid. Precisely, these road interventions amount to around 30,000. The number of those arrested for looting and looting amounts to 27.
The deployment of the DANA of the Civil Guard until this Friday was 2,466 troops deployed from almost all units of the Armed Institute. The Government announced this Saturday that this figure will be expanded in the coming hours to 5,000 the number of agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard. In the affected areas there are the Citizen Security groups, Traffic Group, Reserve and Security Group (GRS), Mountain Rescue and Intervention Group (GREIM), Air Service, Special Group for Underwater Activities (GEAS), Judicial Police , Seprona, Drone Team, Disaster Identification Team, Cynological Service (dogs), Information Service and four mobile citizen service offices.
The DANA catastrophe will leave an “incalculable and indelible dimension” in the memory of officials. The Civil Guard associations have issued a joint statement expressing their “deepest dismay and support for all affected families.” “The data are tragic: the number of deaths is increasing and there is a disconcerting number of missing. Added to this is a growing lack of basic resources for the population that has surpassed the beginning of the tragedy,” they say.
The DANA tragedy “has only just begun”
They warn that the tragedy “it’s only just begun”. At this time, more than 150 roads, mostly in the secondary network, remain affected and impassable due to the accumulation of water, damaged vehicles and sediment, making it difficult for the rapid arrival of help to those in need, who are lacking basic elements, such as water, food, blankets, clothing…
For this reason, the Professional Associations of the Civil Guard in Alicante, given the proximity of the affected areas, propose to the General Chief of the Valencia Zone the possibility of adding more Civil Guard personnel from the Valencia Command to the civil protection device. Alicante to provide the support and help that the authorities require in these difficult times. “We are aware that components of the Specialist Units of this Command are already working on the ground, making a titanic effort with our colleagues from Valencia,” they say.
These entities claim that there are “volunteer staff” that “would provide service without requiring any compensation, or subjection to the regulations of working hours and schedules.” In this sense, they state that the possibility of carrying out twelve-hour services is viable and more than ever necessary, which would allow departure and return on the same day, without the need for accommodation due to the effects of DANA.
Source: www.vozpopuli.com
