The residents of the houses, 9, 11 and 13 of the Path of the Hermitage, in the neighborhood of La Salud, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, they were evicted from their homes yesterday, without showing opposition, at seven in the afternoon, after receiving a notification at noon from several agents of the Local Police.
An order that they were actually waiting for weeks, after the legal services of Urbanism notified the courts of the urgent need for these people to leave their homes, which, according to a technical report requested by the City Council of the capital, are under a slope that presents an imminent risk of landslide. Something to which the neighbors responded by presenting an appeal, which was rejected.
Those affected had already spent two nights away from their homes, a few weeks ago, when Tenerife, and specifically Santa Cruz, was on alert for heavy rains. However, they told DIARIO DE AVISOS yesterday that they felt “dejected and saddened”, despite the risk to which they have been exposed, for having to leave their homes for a long period of time.
One of the owners of these houses, Francisco, 63, said that he was “making several trips” with his belongings and those of his family, until the agents sealed the area, to the apartment that he managed to rent thanks to the help of Viviendas Municipal. Others went to the home of relatives. And the rest, who are in charge of an elderly person, spent the night in a hotel in the city.
A situation that for them “is very hard,” they say, “especially at Christmas time,” because they have children. According to the neighbors, the works could last “between eight and nine months”, although they believe that “it will take longer.” A few weeks ago, the Urban Planning Councilor of the Santa Cruz City Council, Carlos Tarife, revealed to DIARIO DE AVISOS that these homes are illegal, as they are located on rustic land and on the slope of the Barranco de Santos. A situation that Tarife indicated that would be made known to the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo de Tenerife and the Insular Water Council, so that they could open a file, and these neighbors could be re-housed in other buildings in the capital, in the medium or long term .
From the outset, the area at risk of landslide was marked to avoid pedestrians and vehicle traffic from the pedestrian bridge, next to the neighborhood association’s premises, to the sewage pumping station.
In addition, for weeks, the technicians began with the stakeout of the enclosure of the area to be secured, as well as with the first measurements.
