Santa Cruz invests 55 million euros in preparing to face another flood

The main amount –24.1 million– has been allocated to fourteen repair works in which the Corporation has had the financial contribution of the Island Council, in the case of the stabilization of the slopes in Cueva Bermeja and San Andrés, as well as the reinforcement of the pavement and stabilization of the slope of Igueste de San Andrés, as well as the sanitation and reinforcement of the TF-2 lane as it passes through El Draguillo and Los Alisios, financed by the Cabildo de Tenerife Road Service.

Work has also been done to improve and pave the Valle Crispín and Valle Brosque roads, as well as to repair damage and improve access to the Valleseco infrastructure, the latter with contributions from the Cabildo’s Environment area.

The Urban Projects, Infrastructure and Works Service of the Santa Cruz City Council has undertaken the repair of Ángel Romero Avenue, in the El Perú neighborhood, as well as the intervention of traffic light elements, in electrical installations of schools and in the rear of buildings of María Jiménez, in addition to the source of the García Sanabria, transformer station or in the electrical service.

Another 20.4 million euros have been invested in eighteen works in ravines, with contributions from the Insular Water Council, as well as from the Environment area, the Highway Service and the Urban Projects, Infrastructure and Works Service of the City Council of Santa Cruz.

From the Housing area, action was taken in two directions. One, economic compensation to the victims to face the repair. The other, more ambitious and complex –due to the need to find land in the affected neighborhoods–, the replacement of the houses.

Once the possibility of rebuilding the affected properties was ruled out, the formula of accessing rental housing was established until a replacement house could be guaranteed for definitive relocation. To this end, on April 11, 2003, the SEPES Program was signed with the Ministry of Housing for the construction of 61 Officially Protected Housing Units, and in September 2004 an agreement was reached between the Governing Board of Santa Cruz and the Canarian Executive to build another 98 VPOs.

In Valleseco, two developments of four and seven floors were carried out, tailored to the demands of the owners, corresponding to the commitment that they would not leave their neighborhood. In the same way, another 57 were built in Barrio de La Alegría, 21 in San Andrés, eleven in Barranco Grande and seventeen in La Salud. Currently, there are seven families renting and with their relatives who are waiting to receive their house when it is built in their neighborhoods of reference, which makes it difficult to fulfill the commitment due to the lack of land. In housing, 8,516,018 euros have been invested.

3.2 million have been invested in thirteen rainwater channeling works, already executed. In the Southwest, the collector on Las Hespérides Avenue, between Bajío Street and Barranco Grande; as well as in La Gallega or in the lower part of Acorán, or on Andrés Orozco Avenue, in Tíncer, for 1.2 million.

The rainwater collector has also been installed from Arabia street to the mouth of the El Hierro ravine, or on Severo Ochoa street, the Barrio Nuevo-Los Campitos basin and on Venezuela avenue, for 912,740 euros. Precisely on Venezuela Avenue, a second one was carried out, in addition to stormwater works in La Gallega, Acorán or the upper part of Andrés Orozco Avenue in Tíncer, for 1.1 million.