Those responsible for the disaster continue to be blamed

A week after flash floods hit eastern Spain, there were recriminations over who was responsible for the country’s worst natural disaster in living memory and scenes of anger among those affected.

The initial image of cross-party unity has been replaced by disputes over which agencies have jurisdiction over the disaster area, where at least 218 people have died.

Carlos Mazón, the Valencia regional leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), welcomed Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and thanked his government for its support after the floods.

It was an unusual sight in Spain’s deeply polarized political context, with Masson even calling Sanchez his “dear prime minister.”

Valencia regional leaders have been criticized for taking around 12 hours to respond to a red weather warning issued by Spain’s national meteorological agency (Aemet) on October 29 and send an alert directly to people’s mobile phones. The floods have caused huge damage.

However, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, national leader of the Popular Party, questioned the information provided by Aemet, which is regulated by the central government. He also complained that the prime minister’s government failed to coordinate with local governments.

Pressure has mounted on Masson in the days since, with many commentators and political opponents calling for his resignation over his actions that day and the elimination of Valencia’s emergency units (UVE) when he took office last year.

In response, he took a more confrontational approach, in line with that of the party leader.

These include accusations that the Madrid-controlled CHJ hydrographic agency allegedly activated and then canceled the alert on the date in question.

“If the CHJ re-activates hydrological warnings, local governments will immediately issue warning messages,” Masson said.

The CHJ responded by explaining that it provides data on rainfall and related matters but does not issue such warnings.

Fifteen thousand soldiers, militiamen and police have arrived in the Valencia region, double the number from last weekend.

Masson dismissed suggestions that his government did not request adequate support from the military following the weather event, insisting that the armed forces themselves were responsible for such decisions.

Javier Marcos, head of the Military Emergency Group (UME), responded that the agreement stipulates that local governments must request any such support.

“I can put 1,000 people at the emergency door, but I cannot enter legally without the authorization of the person in charge of the emergency,” he said, referring to the Valencian leader.

Masson’s comments about the military reportedly angered Defense Minister Margarita Robles, who expressed her anger during a crisis meeting of ministers with King Felipe on Monday.

Meanwhile, the political situation has become more complicated after Núñez Fejo called on the prime minister to declare a national state of emergency, which would centralize management of the crisis in Madrid and wrest power from the Valencian regional government.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, also supports the measure but has been excluded by the government.

“Sanchez should be held accountable for not using all national resources when they could have saved lives,” he said, denouncing the government’s “evil and incompetence.”

King, Sanchez and Masson were all devastated by public anger over the handling of the tragedy on Sunday, when people in Piporta, the Valencian town worst affected by the floods, threw mud at them and jeered at them , calling them “murderers.”

As the scenes became increasingly violent, the prime minister’s security detail led him to his car. Masson remained with the king and Queen Letizia, who both reached out to some locals in an effort to reassure them that we were doing everything we could to help.

Although the wisdom of that visit was widely questioned, Masson has since put forward a proposal for a €31.4 billion reconstruction of flood-hit areas to be funded by the central government.

Meanwhile, Sanchez announced a separate initial aid package worth 10.6 billion euros.

“Spaniards want to see their institutions not fighting against each other, but working side by side,” he said when making the announcement.