SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 10 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Government of the Canary Islands, Alicia Vanoostende, has called for political unity and between administrations to face the reconstruction of the island of La Palma, “probably the most important challenge of our life” , at the same time that he has sent a message of encouragement and hope to those affected by the volcano, who “have the strong support and commitment of the Government of the Canary Islands.”
This was stated during an appearance in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, in which he replaced the Minister of Public Administrations, Justice and Security, Julio Pérez, to explain the actions that are being carried out by the different Departments of the Canarian Executive on the island of La Palma to alleviate the damage caused by the volcanic eruption.
The counselor pointed out that the actions are focused on the families affected or evacuated and with an eye to the future in the medium and long term, to the needs to be covered and to the design of the reconstruction of the island in a coordinated manner. In this sense, he explained that the Government of the Canary Islands has prioritized attention to La Palma “responding with all kinds of solutions, both logistical, economic and administrative, always under the premise of preserving people’s lives and covering their basic needs for accommodation. and maintenance, as is the case of the nearly 500 victims staying in hotels. “
In terms of housing, he indicated that the Department of the area delivered the first 18 homes this week and added that another 120 more will be delivered until the end of the year and another 200 prefabricated homes will be acquired, 30 of which are already on La Palma waiting of the cession of land by the city councils. The third phase will be reconstruction, in which definitive housing will be available. In order for the houses to be delivered objectively, a team of 26 social workers has been hired. To make the construction of the houses effective, the Ministry of Ecological Transition has coordinated with the rest of the administrations the opportune modifications in the planning that will become effective after the approval of the decree of urgent measures.
The counselor pointed out that the Office of Attention to the Affected was set up in Los Llanos de Aridane two weeks after the eruption to attend to the victims. The office has more than 50 professionals, the support of 012 for telephone assistance, a web platform and an application for managing the single online registry. More than 1,500 people have already been cared for.
The Ministry of Social Rights is supporting the work of the municipalities to guarantee basic benefits and support for minors at risk. The resolution of the PCI has been expedited, which will have an extra payment as a complement in the Valley.
The Health area has strengthened the Los Llanos and Fuencaliente health centers, as well as the Specialized Attention Center (CAE), reorganizing and improving the routes for patient transfers and the distribution of individual protection material. The Ministry works in the prevention and fight against the deterioration of mental health through an agreement with the College of Psychologists of Tenerife. The volcanic crisis is causing stress, anxiety and depression.
Education has normalized the return to classrooms, relocated schoolchildren from the affected centers and applied a zero lunch fee, as well as restructured and increased school transport. In the rest of the Valley, the staff has been strengthened, the cleaning of the centers, the improvement of the provision of digital material, among others, always guaranteeing security measures.
In terms of employment in addition to protecting the island through the State with more than 1,500 people under ERTE, the Ministry of Economy and Employment promotes a specific employment plan for 60 million euros. The resolution of more than 500 requests for COVID assistance has been expedited and an emergency aid of 10 million euros is being processed for freelancers and companies.
Alicia Vanoostende explained that from her area the advance of aid for the banana sector of the Valley and Fuencaliente is being processed for the loss of fruit due to ash, as well as aid for the livestock and fishing sector. Works have been carried out on various infrastructures such as the improvement of access to Puerto Naos or the installation of desalination plants for the irrigation of bananas by the Ministry of Ecological Transition “.
From the Treasury area, in order to reduce the tax burden, it has applied zero IGIC for the replacement of affected assets, discounts on property transfer taxes, inheritance and donations and term extensions, moratoriums on tax payments and deferrals of debts, which are added to national bonuses.
Vanoostende explained Decree Law 14/2021 of October 28, which establishes greater flexibility so that affected people can receive the different aids once they are registered in the Registry of Affected Persons without having to provide more documentation and with the necessary legal certainty.
