Jaume Collboni

The meeting between the Mayor and Barcelona’s large social organisations (Taula del Tercer Sector, FAVB, CAB-Torre Jussana, Càritas, Creu Roja and Banc dels Aliments) analysed how to channel institutional aid most effectively. A decision has been made to provide a series of grants of 300,000 euros to Catarroja through the signature of a collaboration agreement between Barcelona, the affected areas and social and humanitarian organisations providing emergency support on the ground, plus other official channels established.

Priority is also being given to people centring their support on monetary donations, to a large extent as the food bank in Valencia cannot gather more food donations. The collection points for food and essential items around the 14 libraries in the city’s ten districts were filled in a matter of hours.

Anybody wishing to help out can do so by donating to one of the following social organisations:

Creu Roja

• Bank transfer to the account: ES28 2100 0600 8502 0196 0066.
• Bizum to the number 33512.
• By phone, on 900 104 971.

Càritas (Valencia)

• Donation via the organisation’s website.
• Bank transfer to the account: ES19 3159 0078 5716 6338 6025 (Caixa Popular) and ES02 2100 8734 6113 0064 8236 (Caixabank).
• Bizum to the number 38026.

Càritas (Barcelona)

• Donation via the organisation’s website.
• Bank transfer to the account: ES14 2100 5000 5502 0035 5270.
• Bizum to the number 33381.

Banc dels Aliments

• Donation via the organisation’s website.
• Bank transfer to the account: ES27 2100 0555 3102 0193 0933
• Bizum to the number 08305.

More than 80 municipal workers on the ground

The city has rallied to quickly offer human, technical and material aid to tackle the emergency, through emergency services and the civil protection service. This has been organised in coordination with the government delegation, the National Centre for Emergency Management (CENEM) and the Barcelona Urgent Care and Social Emergency Centre (CUESB).

In all, 89 professionals have gone to Valencia to work on the ground, with another 250 people mobilised so far to relieve the teams successively. All of the municipal workers are in Catarroja, except for the Cleaning and Parks and Gardens services, which are shared between Paiporta and the city of Valencia.

The Barcelona Urgent Care and Social Emergency Centre (CUESB) activated an emergency team of 12 people on Saturday, ready to offer initial psychological support and social guidance, assess needs, help with identifying victims and providing emotional support and individual and group sessions in the emergency.

Barcelona Fire Service has sent 33 firefighters and 14 vehicles, including heavy fire engines for woodlands, two cranes, an ambulance, two vans, a rescue vehicle and a water tank truck. The goal is to assess structures and reinforce them where needed, rescue people in dangerous environments, pump out water and move heavy loads, with a team of divers and a motorboat for operations in larger bodies of water.

The City Police are working in the affected area with 27 officers, four SUVs and four trials bikes, six cars and a van from the Local Emergency Reinforcement Unit (UREP) to carry out protection tasks.

Finally, a total of 17 workers from the municipal cleaning service and from Parks and Gardens are continuing to work on the ground, mainly to remove large objects and mud and help with waste collection work. The vehicles sent to the affected area are 4 dustcarts 4 transport lorries, an excavator and various other materials such as 20 chainsaws, 80 metres of hosepipe and 4 pumps to pump out water. Three more water tank trucks will be sent in the coming days to clean the streets.

Solidarity at the markets

Barcelona’s markets have provided support for initiatives by each Retailers’ Association, collecting food and basic products for those affected. Mercabarna will be donating 5,000 euros to the food bank at Mercavalencia, and a lorry with fresh fruit is being organised for Thursday, 7 November. The associations for wholesalers and other sectors (fish, meat, logistics and services) have created a fund of 6,000 euros to directly ship produce and to purchase more fresh food if needed.

Support from the cultural sector

Besides the ‘Barcelona with Valencia’ benefit concert at the Palau Sant Jordi on 29 November, other cultural venues have also announced aid initiatives. The money raised from this Sunday’s concert by the Barcelona Municipal Band in hall 1 at L’Auditori will be used to help families affected by the storm, and the Festival Sònar has announced benefit concerts all around the Spanish state from Monday, 11 November.