It's a tragedy, and the handling is absolutely awful so far. A few more details:
Right after winning the election, the regional government abolished the regional emergency unit as a cost-cutting measure. Urban planning failed in allowing to build in what are essentially dry riverbeds and became wet once again. The state agency for meteorology had been giving warnings for days. Civil protection didn't issue warnings to citizens through their phones until flooding had already begun. A far right pseudo-trade union has sued the director of the agency for reckless homicide. The president of the region incorrectly stated that the phenomenon was remiting and heading elsewhere. The region didn't ask the state to raise the emergency level to 3, in which case the state would take over the single command and deploy its own means to support. But now the region accuses the state of innaction. The region also didn't declare "situation of catastrophic emergency" which would have vested single command on the regional president, probably to elude legal responsibility. Volunteers were rejected at first, then belatedly organised, and the region instead of sending them to help people in villages with cleaning, food and water delivery and so on, have at times sent them to clean shopping centres.
With that amount of rain it was always going to be bad. But the civil protection plan failed and the political conflict in the country is keeping administrations pointing the finger at each other. Very upsetting.
modulux
in reply to Elia Ayoub (he/him) • • •It's a tragedy, and the handling is absolutely awful so far. A few more details:
Right after winning the election, the regional government abolished the regional emergency unit as a cost-cutting measure.
Urban planning failed in allowing to build in what are essentially dry riverbeds and became wet once again.
The state agency for meteorology had been giving warnings for days. Civil protection didn't issue warnings to citizens through their phones until flooding had already begun.
A far right pseudo-trade union has sued the director of the agency for reckless homicide.
The president of the region incorrectly stated that the phenomenon was remiting and heading elsewhere.
The region didn't ask the state to raise the emergency level to 3, in which case the state would take over the single command and deploy its own means to support. But now the region accuses the state of innaction. The region also didn't declare "situation of catastrophic emergency" which would have vested single command on the regional president, probably to elude legal responsibility.
Volunteers were rejected at first, then belatedly organised, and the region instead of sending them to help people in villages with cleaning, food and water delivery and so on, have at times sent them to clean shopping centres.
With that amount of rain it was always going to be bad. But the civil protection plan failed and the political conflict in the country is keeping administrations pointing the finger at each other. Very upsetting.