13th - 19th June
costa calida
PART OF EWN MEDIA GROUP EST 2005
Total Lorca recovery in sight Six years after the May 11th earthquakes that struck Lorca, the organisation that manages public aid for those affected by the tragedy has approved almost 100% of the requests for financial assistance. A total of 16,094 requests for aid have been made with only 23 remaining to be approved. The main purpose of the joint commission set up following the disaster that killed nine people and left hundreds injured and homeless has been to co-ordinate the repair of houses and other buildings. A total of €32.7 million has been allocated to the fund from the regional government, of which almost €23.6m has been spent so far. Most of the houses that were damaged by the earthquakes that measured 5.1 on the Richter Scale have been rebuilt, although in the village of San Fernando, which had to be completely demolished, a new urbanisation is still being constructed and in its final stages of development. Two hundred families are expected to be able to move in before the end of this year. The costs of paying for rent for these families that have needed temporary accommodation in the intervening six years has also gone into many millions.
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Spain seeks victim identification improvements In the tragic aftermath of the attacks in and around London Bridge at the beginning of June which saw the death of a Spanish national, demands have been made for the identification of ‘foreign’ victims to be speeded up. Spaniards have died in two of the three attacks the UK has suffered this year. The Spanish Interior Minister – the equivalent of the Home Secretary – has called on the European Union (EU) to put a standard procedure in place for identifying victims that prevents a repeat of what was seen as an unacceptable situation following the death of Ignacio Echeverría. Juan Ignacio Zoido and his counterpart in the Spanish foreign affairs ministry both criticised the delays taken in telling Echeverría’s family of his death, since it left them in ‘agony and heartache’ for four days before they heard any news. Zoido even went as far to call it “inhumane treatment.” As far back as 2015, Spain had already proposed a standard protocol across countries in light of the wave of terrorist attacks in Europe, but as yet nothing has been implemented. Minister Zoido now plans to “carry out an evaluation” of what happened in Ignacio Echeverría’s case, “when the country had all the proof it needed to identify a person” and “still took too long to do so”. “The victims should be at the centre of all actions arising as a consequence of terrorist attacks,” Zoido stated. “Ignacio Echeverría’s case must never be allowed to happen again. Once an attack happens, authorities’ priority should be, along with arresting the culprits, helping the victims swiftly and in every aspect, including identification and assisting their families. “The European
Union needs to make a qualitative and quantitative leap in this respect, because international coordination is fundamental. Spain has a pioneering and exemplary assistance framework for such situations, and only our country, France and Italy have specific laws covering terror victims. We need a specific International Statute and a network of government authorities throughout the EU.” The Association of Terrorism Victims (AVT) in Spain says European countries have upgraded their security measures, but not their back-up and support measures for surviving victims and the families of those who perish in attacks. AVT chair Alfonso Sánchez says the Association has been providing counselling to both for over 35 years, and its experience shows that assistance for victims should not be merely limited to the immediate aftermath, but also provided in the short, medium and longer term, given that the emotional damage suffered can continue for a very long time after the initial shock.