Those affected by the eruption of La Palma, one year after its completion: "Things are the same or worse"

On a day like this Sunday, December 25, 2021, the spokesman and Security Advisor of the Government of the Canary Islands, Julio Pérez, called on the media to

, briefly but solemnly,

.

"What I want to say today is said with very few words, with four words, the eruption has ended," he said at the Casa Salazar in Santa Cruz de La Palma after a Pevolca meeting in which it was certified that the volcano, which had gone out about twelve days before, it stopped roaring.

After a year of work by the public administrations to gradually recover normality on the island -the volcano forced the eviction of 7,000 people, covered more than 1,200 hectares of lava and destroyed almost 1,700 buildings in total, including more than 1,300 homes-, the situation has improved little, warn those affected.

"

, we don't know what will happen,

," summarizes Fátima Ramos, spokesperson for the Platform for People Affected by the La Palma Eruption, who acknowledges that

, with many people still in borrowed houses, living with friends or sheltered in three hotels on the island -something less than 150 people still continue like this-.

Ramos assures that "there are many families with nothing" and although there has been money for those affected and reconstruction -more than 600 million have been mobilized-, he believes that it has not been distributed adequately.

He also points out that there is a lack of specificity in all the legislation related to the volcano, since the decree that aims to regulate urban planning in the las coladas area has not yet been approved - "perhaps for January but they have not told us anything" -.

Given this context, he assumes that one must "continue living, keep hopes and illusions alive" but

, in the western region of the island,

.

"We do not have a home like the one we had and the uncertainty of what will happen," he says, while seeking "strength to fight" and that their rights and dignity as affected "are achieved."

Juan Vicente Rodríguez, from the Cumbre Vieja Volcano Social Association, criticizes that those affected have "no value" because they are not taken into account, not even because of "the pain" they suffered as a result of the eruption.

He assumes that "aid is what it is", according to the law, but regrets that there is no specific law for the island that truly "compensates" them, even though they will never have what they had.

"Whatever is under the volcano does not exist"

Juan Vicente points out that

, the delivery of homes "in drops" -although 140 homes have been delivered plus 126 modular ones and 537 families receive rental assistance- as well as the works in roads and services, although he recognizes differences between those who have their home in Puerto Naos and La Bombilla, closed for now by gases, than those who lost it devastated by lava.

"Whatever is under the volcano does not exist and find your life," he details.

Regarding the

, he affirms that the emergency aid has covered the

, although the 30,000 euros for housing from the Government of the Canary Islands that he assures will arrive are still missing, but he gives an example of the difficulty in rebuilding his life.

Juan Vicente stresses that he has received 60,000 euros for his home plus another 10,000 euros in aid for household goods and in view of the Canarian Government decree that allows building on rustic or agricultural land, he allocated 20,000 euros to the purchase of the land.

"Only on the plot and plowing I already have 35,000 euros and I haven't made the walls, when I start with the foundations I already spent the help and I had a home valued at 300,000 euros and comfort. That money is not enough to build a home" , indicates.

He admits "good intentions" among the public rulers, even though "the management is not the most appropriate" and believes that it is better to support each other than to give each other "firewood", at the same time that he values ​​the special employment plans for the island given that they are a "ball of oxygen" for the economy.

Another consequence of the eruption is that

, the tourist lung to the west of La Palma, is closed with

, to which are added many first and second homes.

Juan Vicente believes that when the provisional desalination plants are withdrawn from the month of March there will be more land available and Fátima believes that "it is necessary to take action on the matter" and speed up the return of those affected to their homes because when the houses are aired and the water runs, "the gases drop considerably".

Parliament Roadmap

Looking to the future, the Parliament of the Canary Islands this week approved the opinion of the study commission that has been analyzing the future of the island and that advocates reaching a balance between environmental protection and economic reactivation to avoid the impoverishment of the population and the progressive depopulation of the island.

It also advocates the need to seek effective solutions for second homes, tourist homes, rural houses, shops and industries, that there be a clear model for land occupation, the possibility of creating a consortium to pilot the reconstruction or that they be implemented more university studies on the island.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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• Canary Islands

• The Palm

• La Palma volcano