Valencians will remember 2024 as an especially dramatic year due to the hard blow dealt by two great tragedies that stand out above the rest: the fire in the neighborhood of to ring of Valencia on February 22 and the triple flood that devastated the province on October 29.
The reaction of the Administrations has been very different to the two catastrophes. In the Campanar fire, where 10 people died and 15 were injured, the collaboration and quick action made it possible to save lives and treat the victims after the event in an effective and diligent manner.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sanchezand the head of the Consell, Carlos Mazónthey went hand in hand and, together with the mayor of the capital of Turia, María José Cataláthe State ensured that those affected, around 450 people, were comforted by protective measures that allowed them to gradually rebuild their lives.
Inadequate facade
Adverse weather conditions (with strong winds from the west, extremely hot) meant that February 22 became the worst memory for the city in terms of fires, with a residential complex of 138 homes, engulfed in flames from the outside like a giant torch.
The origin of the fire was the malfunction of a kitchen appliance in one of the properties whose tenant was not inside. The advance of the flames caused the glass exit to the balcony to break and, from there, it spread to the outside through a façade with compounds, not completely fire-retardant, which facilitated its spread.
Los courts They must determine the flaws in the construction (façade and emergency exits) that, due to the speed of its extension, became evident and turned the property into a mousetrap for the neighbors who could not leave the building in time.
Valencia overcame that blow that left its population very emotionally affected. They were the eve of some Fallas festivities that were dull and joyless due to the virulence of that event. No one could predict that it would be repeated with greater force a few months later.
The worst cold drop
On October 29, with a red alert by the DANA that was generated in the vertical of the province of Valencia, a series of failures in the forecast, the insufficient information provided by the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, and the slow action of those responsible of the Generalitat Valenciana and the Government of Spain, caused the residents of the towns in the south of the metropolitan area of Valencia to ignore that a great flood was heading towards its municipalities.
An authentic tsunami that traveled through the Poyo ravine devastated that entire area, causing most of the fatalities (223 and 3 missing) recorded that day. A total of 78 municipalities of the province were almost devastated. Most of the deceased were in their vehicles within the municipalities, in garages, or on the roads. There were also those who were caught leaving work, in the elevator, walking through their cities or even inside their houses where the force of the current tore off doors and walls.
three floods
The first flood traveled from Utiel and Requena through the Magro River towards the Forata dam – which was on the verge of bursting – and by draining high quantities, it worsened the flooding in La Ribera, where there were 12 deaths. The second is the one mentioned Poyo ravine which had its origin in Chiva where rainfall of up to 500 liters per square meter was recorded.
And the third came from Turia river (and the Sot river that came close to bringing down the Buseo dam) and that devastated the riverside towns where the rains exceeded 550 liters per square meter: like in Pedralba. The city of Valencia was saved thanks to the South plan (the new channel of the Turia), although the districts located south of that engineering work recorded 17 fatalities.
Late warning and subsequent abandonment
The delay in sending the massive alert to the population (Es-Alert) at 8:12 p.m., when many people they had already perishedis something that, broadly speaking, is attributed to the president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, although he was not legally responsible for directing that emergency. The subsequent lack of attention to the population for almost 4 days is also fundamentally attributed to the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.
This catastrophe has meant a slowdown for the Valencian economy, which has already accounted for more than 25,000 million euros in damages in the different productive and economic sectors. Layoffs, layoffs, business closures and difficult mobility have painted a complicated picture for the nearly one and a half million inhabitants who were affected by this destructive DANA.
The disaffection social attitude towards politicians has been clearly seen in chapters such as the one experienced in Paiporta during the visit of the Kings of Spain where the neighbors threw mud at the authorities and caused Pedro Sánchez to flee from the place; while Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Carlos Mazón weathered the downpour as best they could.
Three massive demonstrations against the president of the Generalitat are also part of that rage and indignation against the political authorities that have also been replicated in several municipal plenary sessions of the affected localities where the mayors and mayors his lack of reaction.
The departure of Vox
The year 2024 politically began with a Government in the Generalitat Valenciana composed of PP and Vox. The popular ones were slowly but steadily advancing in the polls towards an absolute majority. The first stress test for Carlos Mazón came on July 11 when Santiago Abascal He ordered the three Vox councilors (Vicente Barrera, Elisa Núñez and José Luis Aguirre) to leave the Valencian Government due to the PP’s national immigration policy.
Reluctantly, but they obeyed. And, after the announcement, Mazón fired them before they submitted their resignation. That solo trip of the PP in the Generalitat accelerated its rise in voting intention to around 46 seats (4 from the absolute) and Vox timidly retreated. Of course, those from Abascal have continued to provide their support for Mazón in the Cortes Valencians so that there would not be a left-wing Government.
The DANA tragedy – which has significantly (perhaps temporarily) lowered support for the PP in demographic studies – has resulted in the dismissal of two ministers, the one responsible for Emergencies, Salome Pradas; and that of Industry, Nuria Montes. Vox continues to support Mazón and supports him against the request of PSOE and Compromís that he leave office or be dismissed.
He PSPV post-Puig
The Valencian socialists have confirmed this year a change in their leadership. The farewell of Ximo Puig (already in Paris as Spanish ambassador to the OECD) left room for Pedro Sánchez’s desire for the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morantwas his replacement.
Morant won the extraordinary national congress of the PSPV during the last weekend of March and now (next February) he will run for reelection in the ordinary congress. No one will overshadow him, not even the Government delegate, Pilar Bernabé, who internally has emerged well from the management of the DANA crisis.
In commitmentMeanwhile, they are involved in the new associative formula of the nationalist coalition and in the search for an alternative leadership to Joan Baldoví that has not fully materialized on his return to Valencia after his time in the Congress of Deputies.
Of course, it is the political formation that has the least to lose from the management of DANA and that, as in the case of Vox, is already reflected in some studies that the rise against the great wear and tear of the Valencian PP and more content of the PSPV.
Educational freedom
The Valencian Community, apart from the political upheavals and the aforementioned catastrophes, has experienced a year in which families have once again been able to choose the educational center for their children and where the choice between Spanish and Valencian for teaching has also had more freedom and variations than in the time of Ximo Puig’s Government, especially for the Spanish-speaking areas.
The reduction of surgical waiting lists priority has been close to 70%, although in non-priority cases the wait is still in similar parameters to the previous Executive and the lack of professionals, especially in primary care, remains unresolved.
Less taxes
The tax reduction has been significant and also the inclusion of new assumptions in the deductions for income tax on Individuals, although this entails a reduction in collection that aggravates the financing problems suffered by the region.
In fact, on December 13 this was one of the issues of the Conference of Presidents in Santander where Mazón continued to insist. The need for the Valencian Community, apart from Pedro Sánchez’s proposal to absorb part of the Valencian public debt, to receive a leveling fund of 1,782 million euros annually.
This transitional fund would be applied until the system is reformed. financing model autonomous community of which there is no news of agreement on the horizon.
The immigration Illegal traffic along the coasts of the Valencian Community, especially on the Alicante coast, continues to increase in 2024; as well as the already high price of dwelling; while the rate of paro It remains at 13.04%, almost two points more than the national average.
Competitiveness
This 2024 also leaves the green light to the expansion of the Port of Valencia that had been stopped for more than a decade and that will allow the Valencian port infrastructure to have the capacity to continue competing to maintain the first place in container traffic in the Mediterranean.
The arrival of investors such as the electric car battery factory in Volkswagen in Sagunto (management of the last legislature) is already a fact and, together with the commitment of BP by green hydrogen in its refinery in the port of Castellón, are among the most significant in autonomy.
In this bouquet of large investments the firm also has a prominent place Stadlerlocated in Albuixech, which will manufacture 500 trains for an Austrian-German consortium that will represent a turnover of 4,000 million euros.
The Valencia CF crisis
On the sporting level, the serious institutional, social and sporting crisis of Valencia CF stands out, which is sunk by the non-existent management of the largest shareholder, Peter Lim. The sporting disinvestment of the last six years has led the team to remain in relegation positions to the Second Division since the League began.
Furthermore, Lim has still not started work on the new stadium, although he predicts that it will be on January 10, (which has put Valencia’s candidacy for the World Cup 2030) and has requested a loan of 180 million euros from Goldman Sachswith the sale of its share package as a probable scenario for next year. The club’s social mass is angry with the property and is clamoring to facilitate the departure of another manager.
Source: www.vozpopuli.com
