Any help is little. There are many Guadalajara residents who in the last week have made different donations to help those affected by the terrible effects of DANA in Valencia. In the city, there have been many collection points for food and hygiene or cleaning products in bars, such as in La Canda promoted by the clubs; commercial premises without activity such as on Calle Mayor with the claim of the Guadalajara Central Zone Action Group; private businesses, daycare centers, such as in the Alfanhuí municipal center; institutes, such as the IES Luis de Lucena; or sports clubs, such as the Guadalajara Deportivo Football Club in its Pedro Escartín facilities; companies or social centers in the municipal municipalities of the capital.
Some of these points had their own destination routes for donations, but others were tasked with facilitating citizens’ delivery of material in order to later transport it to the Eduardo Guitián Integrated Municipal Center (CMI) in the capital, where the Guadalajara City Council has maintained a collection point for five days with ample hours so that citizens who wanted to could collaborate with the Valencian people. In total, about 300 pallets, more than 154 tons of humanitarian material, have been collected at this location.
«We must thank all the citizens who have not stopped coming, and also the collaboration of volunteers from the Local Police, Civil Protection and Firefighters, as well as a group of Scouts, but, above all, the general population, who is giving their all. with Valencia,” the Councilor for Citizen Security and Emergencies, José María Antón, told La Tribuna de Guadalajara.
There have been many solidarity initiatives to collect donated material for those affected by the storm. – Photo: Javier Pozo
During the weekend alone, more than 20,000 kilos of aid were collected. Mostly food, milk and cleaning products. Once classified at the CMI, everything was moved to a municipal warehouse in Francisco Aritio from where the contingents have gone and will leave for the most needy populations.
The first of the shipments left this Wednesday afternoon, bound for Benetúser, and, according to the information provided by the mayor of Emergencies, it was expected that at least three more trailers would leave, in addition to three trucks that left for beginning of the week.
«We are coordinated with the FEMP but also with other groups. There is cargo that is going to a town where a group of retired military personnel has arrived where we know that absolutely nothing has arrived. Another convoy of products will leave with two local police officers, with heavy machinery material, which is also provided by a company from Guadalajara,” explains José María Antón.
There have been many solidarity initiatives to collect donated material for those affected by the storm. – Photo: Javier Pozo
Among the constant trickle of anonymous people who came to deliver products, excited messages: “I brought products that could be useful so I wouldn’t have to cook, I only found a package of diapers, lactose-free milk so that anyone can drink it, and other items.” of breakfast. It is a help for others but not for going out on social networks or anything. You don’t have to go to the other side of the world to help,” said Jovanna.
And the solidarity of the population was felt on the supermarket shelves. Empty bottles of water, milk or baby hygiene products.
«The majority of people who come try to collaborate. Where do I help, where do I place this, where do I move it. Mostly, food and many personal hygiene products or cleaning products have been received,” says Alejandro Fernández, a volunteer with the Guadalajara Scouts group.
There have been many solidarity initiatives to collect donated material for those affected by the storm. – Photo: Javier Pozo
Regarding the shipment of material, from the Engineer Material Maintenance Park and Center (PCMMI) of Guadalajara, a trailer full of tools left to support the work of the Army, the Military Emergency Unit (UME) and Civil defense. Specifically, the material transported were earthmoving tools and personal protective equipment.
Grains of sand. There are many solidarity initiatives that have been born in recent days to collaborate with the municipalities devastated by the torrential rains.
One of them is the one promoted by a group of ‘influencers’ from Madrid that has reached the pharmaceutical world of Guadalajara.
«I am a pharmacist and, through social networks, I saw that they were collecting specifically health products. “I contacted them and other pharmacists in Guadalajara because they were going to come from Madrid to pick it up,” says Carmen Valcárcel, owner of a dispensary in the city who details that she has donated materials such as adult and children’s diapers, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, gauze, masks.
Carlota Carrasco, one of those responsible for this initiative, tells us that the distribution will be carried out in Algemesí and other affected towns after contacting volunteers from several parishes and the Valencian association Casa Caridad.
From the world of culture, the Gentes de Guadalajara association announced the donation of 3,234 euros raised in the Tenorio Mendocino performances last weekend for the accounts set up by Cáritas and the Red Cross for those affected by the storm.
And another curious initiative by Raúl Bermejo also deserves mention, who runs a food store in the Manantiales neighborhood and who usually brings oranges and tangerines from the Levante area. Until now, Raúl made a donation of 10% of the proceeds from the sales of these products, about a thousand euros, to the parish Cáritas of San José Artesano, but, this year, he wants to do so to Cáritas Valencia, hoping that the amount to be donated can be duplicated to help more.
Human means. This Sunday, a detachment of four Civil Protection personnel is scheduled to leave from Guadalajara, headed by the head of the local Group, traveling with material from the rescue unit. They will go directly to Valencia so that, from there, they can be sent to a damaged location. They are expected to remain in the affected area for at least two weeks.
Destined for Paiporta, two volunteers from the Quer Civil Protection Group and councilor Gema Cañones, also left this week with the products collected in the town and with the intention of collaborating in the area.
Likewise, eight firefighters from the Guadalajara City Council have participated in the victim rescue operation at the request of the Valencia Provincial Firefighters Consortium, with one heavy vehicle and another light vehicle.
The Provincial Council and the towns of the province turn
There are many municipalities in the province that collected food and cleaning or hygiene materials during the last long weekend. Among them, Alovera (30 pallets), Cabanillas (40 pallets), Azuqueca (41 pallets), Trillo (2,500 kilos), as well as other points enabled in municipalities such as Mazuecos, Albalate de Zorita, Auñón, Sacedón, Yunquera, El Casar or Fontanar. All of them, and surely many more, have been able to make shipments through a distribution system coordinated by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP). Likewise, it should be noted that the Provincial Council has sent two contingents of human and material resources destined to intervene in the town of Sedaví. In total, 24 vehicles left, many of them heavy machinery, equipment for cleaning, debris removal, rescue, location and communications, and 41 workers, who have medical assistance from three health professionals from the Mondéjar Civil Protection Group.
Testimony: “Anyone who can, protect themselves, but go help because it is necessary”
He considers the Valencian Community as his second home because he has been regularly visiting the Castellón area for 14 years, where he also bought a house in Burriana a year ago.
Accompanied by her partner and two friends, Inmaculada Iges, who has a business in Alovera, did not think twice about heading to the disaster area to help. They left in an SUV, transporting everything they had collected from an association in Valdeavero for the victims. By publishing his plans on social networks, he began to receive bizum from clients, family and friends so that he could purchase products in supermarkets. They shopped until they filled their vehicle. Later, he had to refuse donations because “the closer you were to the catastrophe, the less there were.” Their first destination was Alfafar, where they delivered everything from Valdeavero, then they went to Paiporta where they left everything they had purchased.
«We went to a sports center. We did not gain access but we made a human chain. Nothing was coming. It seemed like I was in a third world country. I saw that there were people who had masks but others did not, and we began to distribute all the ones we had. “It lasted five minutes,” says Inma, still shocked by what she experienced. In this town, they helped two neighbors clean their houses. “Wherever you look, you see catastrophe everywhere.”
After contemplating this Dantesque landscape, Inma encourages citizens to move to Valencia: “Anyone who can, protect themselves, but go help because it is necessary.”
