By Corriente Roja
An avoidable tragedy
One week after the passage of the DANA storm in Valencia, the official figures are 217 dead and 89 missing. These numbers are truly frightening, especially when we take into consideration the thousands of homes that have been destroyed as well.
These numbers not only cause us pain, but they have also aroused in us the strongest indignation, because they could have been much lower – or even zero – had it not been for the terrible mismanagement of the environmental disaster by the President of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón (PP). Mazón only raised the alarm when many people in the region were literally drowning. And further, only months before he eliminated the Valencian Emergency Unit responsible for responding to natural disasters. It is also important to point out the fact that on the night of October 29 when the flooding occured, there were only 24 operators on duty at the emergency telephone service 112, because it had privatized. In addition, many workers were sent to their deaths as companies demanded they stay on the job. Also, thousands of homes were destroyed.
Today more than ever our class needs solidarity and self-organization
The images coming out of Valencia have moved the whole population, which has quickly shown solidarity and organized cleaning brigades and food collection points throughout the state. The solidarity shown by the people contrasts with the inaction and institutional cowardice shown by the bougeois political class.
From Corriente Roja, we join the call to continue contributing to those who have been affected by the floods. We have brought materials and food to collection points in several cities and, in order to concentrate resources and ensure that the solidarity goes from one workers’ organization to another, we have joined the Intersindical Valenciana in their organization of the collection of necessary items for flood victims, and we have shared their account number to make contributions.
Following the example of the spontaneous organization of cleaning brigades and solidarity canteens, the workers and those who have been affected by the disaster must organize themselves to discuss their needs and demand the necessary resources to rebuild or renovate their homes.
They must also demand a public works plans that guarantees the protection of urban areas and communities where there are houses in flood zones. This tragedy should never happen again due to a lack of preventative measures.
We must urgently demand responsibility and immediate aid
Class solidarity is essential at this time, but we must also urgently demand that the governments provides the necessary resources (they already exist!) to deal with the consequences of the storm. First, we demand the immediate resignation of Carlos Mazón and his entire team who were responsible for this tragedy. And we demand they be put on trial for their negligence.
We must also demand from both the PSOE-Sumar government and the Generalitat the immediate mobilization of rescue and cleaning forces (fire brigade, army, etc.) and restoration forces (carpenters, plumbers, electricians) to restore the affected areas.
We demand aanctions against all the companies who are responsible for the deaths of workers. And we demand they grant paid leave to all the workers who have to miss work because of the flooding. Help the workers, not the companies. We say no to the ERTE furlough scheme! As we saw during the pandemic, the government announced millions for companies with this so-called job retention scheme, including the big chains and multinationals who forced their workers to stay at work. And they are giving crumbs to those who have lost everything in this environmental disaster.
We must demand real help, not just words. We urgently require the prompt delivery of supplies to the entire affected population, along with the deployment of all necessary technical personnel. We also need the immediate delivery of economic aid to all those affected, in order to avoid a repeat of the disasters in Lorca and La Palma, where people received the promised aid 13 years later.
The three-month postponement of mortgage payments announced by the government is totally insufficient. We demand the suspension of rents and the cancellation of all mortgages and credits of those who were affected. We also demand that the central and regional governments make available the hotel rooms and empty apartments that are in the hands of banks and vulture funds, in order to ensure decent housing for all those who have been left homeless.
No room for the far right
As usual, the far right is taking advantage of this misfortune to spread their messages of hate, their denialist theories, and to channel all of the legitimate anger to where it interests them. Likewise, leader of the PP Feijóo and company fill their mouths with words of solidarity, as if their party in Madrid wer not responsible for the 7291 deaths of elderly people in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We share the anger of all those who are outraged at Mazón, the Sánchez-Díaz government, and the monarchy. And it is important to point out that they are responsible. But we must do so from a class perspective, militantly, and through self-organization, without being blindly led by any party, even if they call themselves “progressive” or “liberal.”
The ecological emergency is a symptom of capitalist barbarism
This disaster cannot be understood without first pointing to the profits of businessmen and politicians. First, the capitalists have historically been in charge of construction, occupying natural spaces with buildings for their own benefit. And they have often done so despite the risk of floods, landslides, etc.. But we as the working class are the ones who always pay the price for their thirst for profit when we inhabit buildings constructed in inadequate areas.
Capitalism aggravates natural disasters and turns them into a class problem. If you are a worker, you are expected to risk your life to go to work in the middle of a storm. If you are a businessman, you are rescued and compensated.
We must urgently demand immediate and effective measures to combat the effects of climate change, to prevent women workers from paying for the consequences with our lives, starting with a flood risk management plan in the Poyo ravine, which has been stalled since 2007. We must create action protocols, update the existing ones, and strictly adhere to them.
The catastrophe in Valencia has made clear that cutting public services kills, that being ruled by profit and the thirst for profit, and ignoring climate change, endangers our lives. It has been made clear that we must put an end to capitalist logic and the social and environmental barbarism it creates.
DON’T PLAY WITH WORKERS’ LIVES!
Urgent help for all those affected by the floods!
MAZÓN MUST RESIGN! Indict all those responsible for the tragedy!
In the aftermath of the Valencia floods, we demand help and Mazón’s resignation!
