The Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, is travelling to the island of La Palma this Thursday to monitor the implementation status of the adopted measures and the work of the administrations, following the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on 19 September.
Ángel Gabilondo plans to meet with associations supporting those affected and institutional representatives. During the visit, the Ombudsman will hold meetings with the Government Delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, the Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, the President of the Island Council of La Palma, Mariano Hernández, and the Mayors of El Paso, Tazacorte and Los Llanos de Aridane, three of the municipalities most affected by the volcanic eruption. He will also meet with the Deputy Ombudsman of the Canary Islands, Rafael Yanes.
The Ombudsman will travel to some of the areas hardest hit by the eruption. Over the 85 days of activity, it is estimated that the volcano expelled 159 million cubic metres of lava – the equivalent of 1,707 football fields – buried 73.8 kilometres of roads and affected 2,988 buildings.
According to estimates published by the Ministry of Finance, Budgets and European Affairs of the Government of the Canary Islands in December 2021, the damage to public and private property amounts to over 842 million euros. According to sources from the Government of the Canary Islands, affected parties have received 565.54 million euros in aid up to 16 September. This aid has largely been provided by different administrations, with some coming from the private sector. Of the 565 million euros, 257.5 were earmarked for housing and accommodation for people affected by the eruption, 88.4 for social emergency and employment support, 80.52 for businesses, the self-employed and economic sectors, and 139.1 for other measures, such as the reconstruction of infrastructure, installation of an emergency desalination plant, etc.
Action by the Ombudsman
The Ombudsman announced ex-officio action on 14 January to ascertain the situation of those affected by the volcano and to assess how the administrations were responding to this situation, as well as the plans in place to rebuild the island, repair the damage to economic activity and mitigate the impact on protected natural areas. The institution also received a manifesto from an association of people affected by the volcano and two citizen complaints, and various ex-officio actions have been opened on other matters related to this case. Most of these actions are still open.
The Joint Commission for the Reconstruction, Recovery and Support of the Island of La Palma agreed to respond jointly to the Ombudsman’s request for information by means of a report/evaluation of the administrations’ response. On 6 June, the Ombudsman received the Minister of the Presidency, Relations with the Courts and Democratic Memory, Félix Bolaños, the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, and the President of the Island Council of La Palma, Mariano Hernández, at the institution’s headquarters, who delivered a detailed report on the actions and measures undertaken following the eruption of the volcano.
At the meeting, Ángel Gabilondo highlighted the joint efforts being made by the central, regional and local administrations to alleviate the impact of the emergency, rebuild the island and attend to those affected.
