Moroccan Civil Protection Teams Aid Valencia’s Recovery After Storm

A first contingent of 70 agents, 24 fire trucks and an assistance van arrived on Wednesday, November 13 at the port of Motril (Granada) from Tanger Med. After being received by the Consul of Morocco in Andalusia, Soumia El Fathi, the team was taken by the Civil Guard to its operations base, set up at the Bétera hospital complex. The Moroccan contingent in Valencia was then reinforced with the arrival of 37 other agents and 13 trucks, for a total of 104 Moroccan civil protection agents and 37 trucks.

The arrival of Moroccan relief workers comes after Spain accepted the aid proposed by Morocco in the aftermath of the devastating floods in Valencia, to help rebuild the city. This humanitarian action is part of the bilateral emergency agreement signed by the two countries in Rabat on January 21, 1987, recalls El Debate, noting that Spain had also provided support to Morocco in September 2023, following the deadly earthquake in Al Haouz, by sending a team of 30 agents from the Special Emergency and Immediate Intervention Unit of the Community of Madrid (Ericam), including firefighters and rescue dogs.

Since their arrival in the Valencian community, the Moroccan agents have been "working tirelessly" to rehabilitate the sewage system, destroyed by the floods. They work up to 14 hours a day (6am to 8pm) non-stop to quickly resolve this situation, which could lead to "serious public health problems." In the first few days, they carried out work to unblock sewers and collectors in the municipalities of Alfafar, La Alcudia, Masanasa, Sedaví, Utiel and Paiporta.

The Spanish Civil Guards are in awe of the dexterity and selflessness of the Moroccan agents. "Their dedication and work capacity are impressive," says Gonzalo Sanz, from the Directorate General of Civil Protection of the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, in charge of coordinating the relief efforts. For the moment, the exact date of the end of the mission of the Moroccan agents in Valencia is not known. It will depend on the Valencian authorities, responsible for analyzing the needs of the affected areas and transmitting them to the Spanish government, who will have the final say.