VALENCIAN president Carlos Mazon has acknowledged that ‘things should have worked better’ during a speech on the first anniversary of the October 29 floods.
229 people died as a result of the disaster with Mazon enduring criticism since then over his government’s slow response to warnings of extreme weather and tardiness in dealing with what happened in the following days.
In a speech given in Corts Hall at the Valencian Parliament building on Wednesday, Mazon, stated: “We tried to do our best in an unimaginable circumstance but in many cases it was not enough and today, again, we must recognise it.”
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An opinion poll published on Monday suggested that three-quarters of Valencians want Mazon to resign.
Mazon said that today ‘is not the day for confrontation’, but he did ask to ‘reflect on the helplessness that so many Valencians felt’ in the face of the magnitude of ‘an unfathomable tragedy’.
He added that Valencian society, ‘in its most difficult moment, was shown in its best light’.
He assured that October 29 ‘will never be forgotten’.
“That day and the following ones will always remain etched in our collective memory,” he added.
“The pain was and continues to be immense,” Mazon stated.
“Nothing can give us back the people we lost, but we can honour their memory every year with commitment, affection and heartfelt respect.”
With that in mind, October 29 has been declared an annual day of remembrance for victims of the Dana.
“Every year must serve to remember and pay tribute to those who lost their lives, to be by the side of their families and to accompany those who still suffer the ravages of the floods as well as renewing gratitude and admiration for a people that knew how to unite in the face of adversity,” he proclaimed.
Carlos Mazon also emphasised the determination of the government to ‘leave no one behind’, and to continue ‘the necessary actions to accelerate recovery, reinforce security and improve prevention’ after the floods.
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