National Deputy and former Minister José Manuel García-Margallo was on the coast earlier this week along with his colleague Joaquin Albaladejo when the pair visited Guardamar, Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa and Pilar de la Horadada as part of a fact finding tour following the recent storms.
Albaladejo is the deputy responsible for informing the Spanish Government of the damages caused by the storm to the Vega Baja coastline.
In the case of Torrevieja, the most affected area is the beach of La Mata, where the torrential rainwater has caused new landslides in a section of the paseo that had just been refurbished by the Costa’s Provincial service, following earlier flooding last Spring.
Albaladejo said that the flooded area had previously been occupied by sand dunes and the water had always drained away but with their disappearance and the construction of new buildings there is now nowhere for the excess water to flow. As a result the Costas Service should reconsider how to resolve the problem in future.
Although the pair also visited Guardamar and Torrevieja it is understood that there was no local representation. However both councils have already submitted their own reports in order to avail themselves of both state and regional aid.
On the Orihuela Costa the national officials met with mayor Emilio Bascuñana in the Playa Flamenca town hall after which the party moved to Cala Capitán, one of the beaches that suffered most damage during last week’s heavy rains. They were also accompanied by the councillor for Tourism Sofia Alvarez.
In order to qualify for aid the respective governments now have a period of forty-five days during which to submit their bids, which must be accompanied by supporting documentation from their own technical staff as well as officers from the Generalitat. The aid will be recorded in the Contingency Fund of the budgets for 2017.
