Spanish regional leader admits mistakes in flood response, but refuses to resign

(CLO) Spain's regional leader admitted that the government made mistakes in its response to catastrophic flooding in Valencia last month, but has refused to resign despite mounting pressure.

Speaking to regional lawmakers on November 15, Carlos Mazón, the leader of the Valencia region, admitted shortcomings in the slow and chaotic response to the storm and flood disaster that killed 220 people.

The storm “showed that our detection and warning systems have flaws,” he said. The powerful storm on October 29 brought huge waves to parts of eastern and central Spain, destroying countless homes and leaving entire towns in mud.

People move belongings from houses affected by floods in Benagarmosa, Malaga, Spain, November 14. Photo: AP

These are the first detailed public comments he has made about the government 's disaster response, coming six days after tens of thousands took to the streets of the city of Valencia calling for his resignation.

Criticism mounted after local authorities failed to send an emergency alert to mobile phones earlier on October 29, despite Spain's national weather agency issuing its highest alert level as early as 7:30 a.m. that day.

Spaniards, particularly in Valencia, have been critical of the initial response by regional and national authorities to the disaster. In the hard-hit Valencian town of Paiporta, residents threw mud at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, King Felipe VI and Mr Mazón when the three leaders visited the town days after the floods.

Mazón's reputation suffered further damage this week when local media reported that he had a three-hour lunch with a journalist on the day of the storm, while several towns and villages had already begun to flood.

On November 15, Mr. Mazón continued to blame the national agency responsible for measuring river flows for "not raising the alarm in time."

Most of the victims of last month’s floods died in small towns on the outskirts of Valencia, with official data released on November 14 showing that nearly half were aged 70 or older.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lanh-dao-khu-vuc-lu-lut-o-tay-ban-nha-thua-nhan-sai-lam-nhung-tu-choi-tu-chuc-post321621.html