Sánchez defends the autonomous system and accuses Mazón of 'shirking responsibility'

"The Government of Spain fulfilled its duty; to say otherwise is to deny the truth." Pedro Sánchez defended on Wednesday the management by his administration during the DANA that struck Valencia on September 29, causing over 200 deaths. The head of the Executive maintains that both AEMET and the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, organizations under Moncloa's jurisdiction, issued "numerous warnings" in the days leading up to the tragedy, which intensified during the ill-fated day "from early morning." Sánchez also revealed that he offered the assistance of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) to the Generalitat, which rejected it "up to three times." "When Mr. Mazón finally changed his mind and requested UME intervention for the Utiel Requena region at 15:41, the first battalion was able to mobilize just one minute later and conduct the first rescues by 17:55," he added.

The president appears in Congress at his own request and that of the PP parliamentary group to explain the Government's management of the DANA, which has led to another tense face-off with Alberto Núñez Feijóo. The meeting comes nearly a month after the tragedy and just two days before the start of the PSOE Federal Congress. Sánchez pointed to the president of the Valencian Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, for his management of the DANA: "Some individuals in high positions have shirked responsibility. Knowing who they are is easy; they are the ones who muddy the waters and deflect blame when they should be managing."

Sánchez also defended the functioning of the autonomous system in managing the emergency, absolving it of any failure. "I do not believe the system has failed; our autonomous system has followed the parameters recommended by leading experts, similar to those in the most developed countries like Canada, Germany, or the United Kingdom, which know that local authorities are best acquainted with the terrain. Therefore, I do not believe the autonomous state has failed. Some of its components have failed, some individuals in high positions have shirked responsibility," he continued.

Moreover, the president warned that "there is something much more dangerous than the climate emergency," alluding to "denialist governments that, by action or omission, deny the devastating effects of climate change." He also insisted that this latest DANA "must serve as a lesson for everyone," including citizens and political forces: "Climate change kills," he reiterated.

During his initial intervention, Sánchez defended the actions of AEMET and the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation. The former, Sánchez noted, issued the first warnings about the DANA five days before the catastrophe, and on Tuesday the 29th, at 7:31 a.m., activated the red level for Valencia. "And it continued issuing public statements and calling the Valencian civil protection throughout the day," stated the head of the Executive, before denying there was an "information blackout," as accused by the Valencian Generalitat. "This body maintained constant information throughout the DANA day. At 12:31 p.m., it reported the rise of the Barranco del Poyo's flow. It was present at the Cecopi from the first moment, providing data on rainfall and water levels. It is true that one of its sensors broke at 6:30 p.m., but by then, emergency services were already in the area," he concluded.

Sánchez has offered to support a congressional investigation commission to "clarify and assign responsibilities," although he did not specify which of the two currently to be registered in Congress (one driven by the PSOE and another by its partners), and he committed to appearing before it.

He also announced that the extraordinary Council of Ministers to be held this Thursday will approve a new aid package, credit instruments, and legal facilities amounting to 2.274 billion euros. "Along with the two previous packages, we are mobilizing a total of over 16.6 billion euros in the first two phases of the Immediate Response, Reconstruction, and Relaunch Plan," the president noted.