Relief funds slow to arrive on La Palma
DW – The Spanish government had pledged over €250 million to help the island’s inhabitants and finance new houses, infrastructure and compensation payments for businesses. But the funds have been slow to arrive.
So far, the regional government has been able to invest only a fraction of the promised money, for example, in housing for evacuees or to provide them with psychological support. Some funds have also gone into setting up new irrigation systems for some banana plantations that are cut off from the water supply.
However, many of the island’s residents complain that they have received hardly any of the financial aid so far because its distribution has been excessively bureaucratic.
Meanwhile, Spain is still dragging its heels on seeking funds from the EU disaster management mechanism.
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