The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, accompanied by the delegate of Urbanism, Environment, and Mobility, Borja Carabante, visited Valencia today on the occasion of the Fallas festival. Almeida, who was received at the City Hall by the mayor, María José Catalá, visited the Municipal Falla that represents the spirit of the Valencian festivities every year and attended the traditional mascletá.
In the Crystal Hall of the City Hall, the mayor received the Honor Helmet awarded by the Valencia Fire Department in recognition of the work of the Madrid municipal services that provided assistance after the DANA.
This distinction is a recognition of Madrid and its emergency services, but above all, a solemn tribute to the victims of the DANA and a hug for their families, explained Almeida. In this context, the mayor recalled the tireless work of the personnel who traveled from Madrid to the Valencian municipalities affected by the tragedy, as well as the shipment of material and the wave of solidarity from the people of Madrid with the devastated municipalities.
Madrid, with those affected by the DANA
The Madrid City Council and its residents rallied around the victims of the DANA on October 29th. The municipal security and emergency services (Municipal Police, SAMUR-Civil Protection, and Fire Department) initially sent over 800 personnel to assist on-site, in different shifts, in the affected localities.
Additionally, in the following weeks and on a weekly rotation, over 550 municipal police officers, around 150 SAMUR-PC health workers, and about 120 municipal firefighters were deployed with the necessary vehicles and equipment to assist the local Valencian authorities, help address the situation, and restore normalcy. The Municipal Police donated nine vehicles to the town halls of Paiporta, Algemesí, and Massanassa. They also volunteered in the donation operation coordinated by SAMUR-PC at the Crystal Pavilion in Casa de Campo, in addition to providing spaces to collect essential products.
Over a thousand volunteers from the Street Cleaning and Waste Collection personnel offered their help to the Valencian towns affected by the floods. A total of 300 personnel were deployed to focus on debris removal, branch clearing, and street cleaning with vehicles equipped with loaders, container trucks with blades, and containers, as well as a workshop van to service any malfunctioning vehicles, among other machinery. Another 210 workers collaborated in the different areas set up to collect and dispatch the requested food and essential items. Fifteen personnel from the Green Areas Service attended with vehicles like trucks with cranes to assist in tree and branch removal, primarily.
The Municipal Transport Company of Madrid (EMT Madrid) sent 125 workers with towing cranes, cars, motorcycles, logistics trucks, support buses, and workshop vans. Additionally, Volunteers for Madrid and SAMUR Social collaborated in channeling the solidarity of Madrid citizens towards the municipalities affected by the DANA.
