Balearic government spokesperson, Antoni Costa, stated on Friday that 72 hours after the floods, the situation in Ibiza is ‘returning to normal’, with the reopening of the road to the airport and the guarantee of fuel and drinking water supplies in Ibiza. At a press conference on Friday, Costa said that the technical advisory committee is meeting again, although he expressed his satisfaction that the island has quickly returned to normal.
In addition to showing his support for local councils such as that of the island’s capital, which have requested that the area be declared a disaster zone, he stated that the regional government will provide ‘all the resources necessary to reverse’ the effects of the heavy rains, in order to help repair the material damage caused.
‘The Balearic Government has committed itself to the Council of Ministers declaring the area a disaster zone,’ said Costa, who also added that the regional executive is working to implement ‘the corresponding aid measures’. And just hours later, the European Commission on Friday said it had earmarked an aid package of 945 million euros to help Spain’s recovery from the deadliest flash floods in Spain’s modern history.
Almost 240 people died in the country after torrential rains last October triggered floods that swept through eastern and southeastern Spain. The most severely hit area was Valencia’s southern suburbs where more than 220 people died. 2.3 billion euros in aid to reconstruct areas of the region hit by floods, which Prime Minister Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said were caused by climate change.
The European Commission said on Friday total earmarked aid for recovery from the floods would be close to 1.6 billion euros, with an additional 645 million euros coming from Spain’s cohesion funds that would be reallocated. “This commitment reflects our determination to help member states build greater resilience and withstand future crises,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in the statement.