An aid package of 10.6 billion euros was announced by Spain to help the people who were affected by the floods. It is estimated that at least 217 people were killed by the flash floods, along with businesses and homes being destroyed last week.
Included in the package is a total of 838 million euros in cash handouts to the small businesses and freelance workers who were impacted by the event, according to the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Sanchez stated that 5 billion euros will be included in the shape of state-guaranteed loans. The national government will cover the costs of cleanup by local councils and half of the costs to repair the infrastructure.
The Prime Minister also indicated that Spain has requested aid from the European Union Solidarity Fund. “There are still missing persons to be located, homes and businesses destroyed, buried under the mud, and many people suffering severe shortages; we have to keep working,” he said in a news conference in Madrid.
It is reported that 217 people have died in Valencia, but only 111 have been found until this moment. The authorities are still warning that the death toll might increase.
