Red Cross Recognises UMH for Support to Dana Victims

Cruz Roja has awarded recognition to the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH) in gratitude for the financial support, involvement, and commitment of the university community to the victims of the dana. The Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and Cooperation of UMH, Vicente Micol Molina, received this distinction at an event held at the Confederación Empresarial de la Comunidad Valenciana (CEV) headquarters.

In total, the Red Cross has received donations from over 4,500 companies, foundations, and civil entities (478 of them from the Valencian Community), including UMH. Thanks to these contributions, a three-year response plan has been developed to support recovery in the 68 localities affected by the dana.

The Red Cross has expressed its gratitude to civil society entities and companies for their trust in channelling their financial and material donations to the people affected by the flood that, in October 2024, devastated the province of Valencia and other parts of the country. It also recognised CEV, the Association of Self-Employed Workers of the Valencian Community (ATA), the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs (AVE), and the Confederation of Cooperatives of the Valencian Community (Concoval), organisations that gather a significant part of the Valencian donor business fabric, contributing to the development by the Red Cross of a three-year response plan.

According to the regional president of the Red Cross, Rafael Gandía; "Thanks to the donations from many civil society entities and companies gathered today, the Red Cross was able to launch that three-year response plan to mitigate the effects of the dana, substantially reinforcing our funds and capabilities from the first days of the tragedy. These donations, both financial and in-kind, allowed us to channel all the necessary emergency aid then and, now, in a second phase, directly contribute to the recovery of both the people and the affected companies, so that they can rebuild their lives and restore their livelihoods as much as possible."

Since the launch of the response plan, the Red Cross has raised more than 115 million euros in donations, of which 58.7 come from companies, foundations, and civil society entities. Thanks to these donations, the organisation has provided financial aid to more than 22,300 families and supported the reopening of more than 2,800 companies that requested access to the aid, among many other actions. Additionally, more than 5,000 people have been able to recover their livelihoods, and nearly 8,600 have indirectly benefited from the aid to companies in 25 localities in the province of Valencia.

Some of the people applying for help to relaunch their businesses also requested access to the direct financial aid that the Organisation offered to the DANA victims whose homes were devastated by the flood, and who needed to replace items such as furniture, appliances, and other basic belongings to normalise their lives. To facilitate this, the Red Cross, coordinated with local administrations and the Generalitat Valenciana, as well as with the support of Caixa Popular, launched a system of personalised prepaid cards for the victims, with an average amount of 1,200 euros per card, subject to certain vulnerability criteria and allowing people to use them autonomously and prioritise their basic needs.

Thanks to the donations collected following the emergency appeal, the Red Cross has recently begun implementing that three-year response plan, which aims to contribute to recovery, resilience building, and the physical, emotional, and social well-being of affected people and communities within that set timeframe.

With these measures, the Red Cross seeks to facilitate efficient recovery, beyond the material aid typical of the emergency, also contributing to strengthening and stimulating commerce, the local economy, and regenerating the Valencian economy, recovering it as soon as possible to levels similar to those before the DANA.