- Almoradí remembers the floods of a year ago with a tribute to all those who worked to contain the catastrophe.
On the first anniversary of DANA, the people of Almoradí have unveiled a monument at ground zero, the site where the Segura River broke through its retaining banks and caused devastation across the community.
“In recognition of all the heroes who helped alleviate the consequences of the floods that devastated our town from September 12 to 15, 2019,” reads the plaque that was unveiled on Saturday in a commemoration attended the president of the Provincial Council, Carlos Mazón, the territorial director of the Generalitat in Alicante, Antonia Moreno, and the mayor of Almoradí, María Gómez.
All of those attending the ceremony emphasised the importance of not forgetting the catastrophe that occurred last year and of working towards the future needs of the Vega Baja to ensure that this type of event does not affect the region with such severity every again.
The unveiling of the monument is part of a number of actions that will take place in the coming days in towns across the Vega Baja in commemoration of the first anniversary, which include photographic exhibitions and the presentation of talks and documentaries, one of which, told first hand by those who suffered, will be shown on TVE next Thursday, September 17.
Apart from the controversies that are still with us twelve months after DANA, particularly with the aid that has yet to reach the region from the different layers of government, the Almoradí City Council considered that the first thing that had to be done was to pay tribute to all the people who helped the town to recover from the catastrophe.
It was for this reason that the commemorative stone and plaque were positioned in the riverbed, under the Algorfa bridge, at the point where the first breakage occurred, releasing 11.5 million cubic metres of water to flood Almoradí, initiating in the most dramatic cold drop for 150 years, which claimed six lives in the Veja Baja del Segura in September 2019.
At Saturday’s event, the president of the PPCV, Isabel Bonig, was also present. She called for more investment to be made in the Vega Baja being especially critical that promised works and aid for DANA “has still not arrived.” “Almoradí and the entire Vega Baja need more investment, not hot air from politicians,” she demanded.
Bonig expressed her grief saying that “there has been a lot of suffering” in this region, “many people fought through those dark days and today is a day to remember and pay tribute to all those heroes who joined forces and helped the entire community, many completely anonymously.”
