(Adnkronos) – “As president of the Generalitat, I want to apologize” to the people who had “the perception that aid was not arriving or was not sufficient”. This was stated by Carlos Mazon, who in a speech to parliament did not announce his resignation – due to the management of the flood on 29 October, which cost the lives of more than 220 people – as president of the regional government. Instead, Mazon proposed the creation of a commission of inquiry and asked for another one at the Congress of Deputies. “We need answers,” he said, admitting that “there were things that were not done well” and assuring that “he will not shirk his responsibilities.” The president of the regional government also underlined the responsibility of the state: “It is legitimate to ask whether the response to requests for help and coordination between institutions has been timely and timely given the gravity of the situation,” he said.
Before the parliament of Valencia, Mazon compared the catastrophe generated by the Dana to “a war scenario”, which “unfortunately caused devastation”. It was “a tragedy, the worst situation in our recent history”. “For everything to return to normal – he added – it takes magnanimity, responsibility and that all state administrations, at all levels, give the best of our abilities and resources”.
Last but not least, Mazon pointed to the central state as responsible for the tragedy, underlining that it is “legitimate to ask” if the water flow or rainfall measurement systems, under the responsibility of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation and Aemet, have worked or if “all the actors involved had sufficient information in a timely manner to apply protocols that had worked in previous situations”.
“It is legitimate to ask whether the response to requests for help and coordination between institutions has been timely and timely given the gravity of the situation,” he accused. Finally, Mazon underlined: “It is legitimate to ask whether the system has responded as we thought it should have responded”. “I have the answer: it didn’t,” he concluded.
The president of the Generalitat Valenciana acknowledged that mistakes were made in the management of the Dana. “I do not deny the failures, it is not possible to do so nor would it be useful, it would imply that we have not learned anything nor are we willing to learn, for fear of political wear and tear or to take advantage of it,” he said. “I do not shirk any responsibility,” he added.
