Resolution on the floods in Portugal, in its autonomous region of Madeira and in Spain
Date: 1996-01-18
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Ireland, Portugal, environmental risk prevention













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51996IP0042

Resolution on the floods in Portugal, in its autonomous region of Madeira and in Spain  


Official Journal C 032 , 05/02/1996 P. 0104 





B4-0042, 0050, 0071, 0092 and 0093/96Resolution on the floods in Portugal, in its autonomous region of Madeira and in SpainThe European Parliament,A. having regard to the inclement weather in Portugal, in its autonomous region of Madeira and in Spain since early November 1995, with severe rain and wind at times turning into tornados and typhoons,B. whereas the torrential rains have caused numerous rivers to overflow their banks, leading to floods (in some cases worsened by Spanish and Portuguese dams having to open their sluice-gates - the Tagus, for example), damage to agriculture and stockbreeding, roads being cut off and railway lines having to cease operating, derailments, power cuts and communication failures, closures of harbours and ports, destruction of houses with numerous households left homeless, damage to residential and commercial premises and loss of human lives,C. whereas a number of Portuguese districts have been particularly affected by the inclement weather, especially on the Atlantic seaboard and in the basins of the Douro, Vouga and Tagus rivers,D. whereas provisional estimates for Portugal suggest that damage to agriculture, stockbreeding, fisheries, trade, industry and various infrastructures, particularly in the districts of Aveiro, Santarém and Lisbon, may exceed five billion escudos,E. having regard to the floods in Spain, in Galicia, Castile and Leon, Estremadura, Andalusia and Asturias, which have resulted in casualties and losses amounting to thousands of millions of pesetas, in agriculture, fisheries and marine produce, and in school infrastructures and centres,The European Parliament,1. Expresses its solidarity with the communities affected, the persons who have lost their houses and possessions and the relatives of the victims;2. Praises the local, regional and national authorities, the volunteers, the private organizations, the firefighters, the Red Cross and all the many others involved for the respectful way in which the evacuation of large numbers of persons was carried out without major problems;3. Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Portuguese government, the Spanish authorities and the regional and local authorities of the districts most affected by the inclement weather to grant emergency aid to make good the damage, provide support to the communities most affected and initiate economic recovery;4. Reminds the Commission and the Member State authorities, in line with the positions previously adopted by Parliament on this subject, of the need, as a matter of urgency, to take global logistic and technical action and to provide operational technical and human resources for the services and infrastructures whose role it is to prevent and alleviate emergencies and disasters, with a view to their effective anticipation and prevention or the minimization of their consequences;5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Portuguese and Spanish governments, the Regional Council of Madeira and the authorities of the Spanish regions concerned.