Today’s parliamentary debate on the government’s handling of the current climate emergency may have been delayed, but the ‘genie has already escaped the bottle’. PS Socialists are on the warpath.
Secretary general José Luís Carneiro has been visiting Arruda dos Vinhos today, where a number of communities are isolated by dint of the fact that roads have twisted and buckled after weeks of persistent rain. Houses have suffered collapses. In fact, collapses are ‘continuing’.
The Socialists’ message is that the ‘situation of calamity’ – initially declared by the government to last only one week (since extended by another week) – should be in place for at least three months.
Damages facing communities like Arruda dos Vinhos (which escaped the initial fury of Storm Kristin) are in the multiple millions.
Mayor Carlos Alves believes his municipality will take years to properly recover – and require the spending of between €15 million to €20 million. And he tells reporters “the responsibility is with the government”.
It is becoming clearer by the minute today how many mayors/ communities/ situations appear not to have received adequate response.
José Luís Carneiro said this morning that it is time for the government to create a form of ‘catastrophe task force’ to deal with all the national emergencies – and to extend the situation of calamity by at least three months.
Arruda dos Vinhos ‘must be included’ in the municipalities currently covered by the situation of calamity, say both the mayor and the PS secretary-general, due to the extent of damage is is faced with. But more importantly “people cannot feel abandoned” – which is clearly what they are feeling in certain areas right now.
“We have to be able to guarantee a national solidarity at this difficult time”, Mr Carneiro explained – suggesting the government really is now ‘up against the wall’.
Public opinion is turning. The AD executive has to be seen to start to ‘step up’.
Source: SIC Notícias
