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The NGO Oxfam Intermón called on Friday for new measures to assist the most vulnerable groups that could be left out of official aid after the storm that hit eastern Spain , such as migrant day laborers , caregivers or those who live in rented rooms.
Following the storm that caused at least 219 deaths and severely punished the metropolitan area of Valencia (east), the Spanish government announced a multimillion-dollar aid package for the victims that, according to the NGO, might not reach vulnerable sectors, such as migrants in the process of regulation or with activities in the underground economy.
The organisation explains that people who work without a contract will not be able to benefit from the temporary employment regulation files (ERTE) measure or from the extraordinary temporary disability announced by the Spanish Government, since without formal employment they cannot apply for it.
For this reason, it is calling for the inclusion of specific measures in the next package of measures to respond to these “forgotten groups”.
“We can’t leave them behind”
“We cannot leave them behind,” says Raquel Checa, head of Oxfam Intermón’s Zero Inequality programme . “The physical and psychological impacts are the same as those of the rest of the population, and in many cases the support networks are more limited.”
He points out that these groups were already very vulnerable and living in precarious situations before the storm and now they must face the challenges of being left without work or housing without a support network around them.
The organisation recalls that, according to INE data, the rate of risk of poverty and social exclusion is four points higher in the Valencia region than the national average.
The NGO also warns that future reconstruction of affected areas must be carried out according to climatic criteria and insists on the need to invest in prevention and preparation for disasters.
