Murcia 12 years waiting for aid due to the Lorca earthquake: "If it is already hard for it to happen to you, it is harder to see that you need help and do not receive it"

12 years, six months and 25 days after an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale shook the Murcian town of Lorca, causing the death of 9 people and leaving dozens injured, there are still around 200 victims who have not received the full compensation that corresponds to them from the Government. While the Community and the City Council forgiven their part of the debt in February 2021, the executive, whose last payments date back to 2020, has still not paid off aid that exceeds one million euros.

The situation affects both residents of communities of owners and private homes. Some of them had to respond with their own assets to the expenses caused by the earthquake. In total, the central government owes almost one million euros to 156 families for the reconstruction of their houses, 38,000 to another 19 for rent and 33,000 to six more for repair, as detailed by the mayor of Lorca, Fulgencio Gil Jódar, last week. pass.

This afternoon, the affected residents met at the town hall to try to find a solution to the problem. As sources from the council point out to EL MUNDO, it is going to apply as a “collaborating entity” between the ministry and the neighbors to facilitate the payment of the debt, trying to receive the pending money and then pay it to those affected. “The Ministry of the Interior paid the families directly, but the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda insists on doing so through an agreement that has expired for three years.”

On the other hand, the first deputy mayor and municipal spokesperson, Rosa María Medina Mínguez, stated after the meeting that, although the council lacks powers, they are going to put “all the management capacity of municipal services to try to unblock this situation.” . The city council also points out to this newspaper that, despite the fact that there is an item of €900,000 in the General State Budget intended to remedy the debt, no payment has been made, and furthermore the interest for the delay is not accounted for. which will have to be paid equally.

“We had a bad time after the misfortune,” explains Diego Piqueras, one of the neighbors who suffered firsthand the consequences of the earthquake. “I know of people who were paying mortgages when it happened. There were people who, until they received the first aid (which took almost two years), had a very difficult time paying their rent, since after the earthquake prices went up. Yes, they already It’s hard for that to happen to you, it’s harder to see that you need help and you don’t receive it, or that it takes a long time.” Another of those affected, José Miguel, relates a similar situation: “They don’t owe us anything, but there are many families who advanced money and are still waiting. This goes without ideological distinctions, the administration has done quite badly.”