Spanish government to begin distributing storm relief payments in early March

The Spanish government will begin paying out aid immediately to those affected by the series of storms that let loose on Andalucía. The first payments will start in early March, as announced this Monday by deputy prime minister María Jesús Montero.

She confirmed that "the first payments from the 7-billion-euro aid package, approved by central government to address reconstruction efforts following all the damage caused by the recent storms, will begin in early March".

Montero highlighted the speed with which the nation's socialist government has processed this aid and asked Junta president, Juanma Moreno, to apply the same speed to the regional government's public aid for individuals, businesses and municipalities affected by the storms.

In her opinion, "the most important thing now is the delivery of aid and streamlining all the procedures so that the application process doesn't become an additional burden for those affected".

The minister visited the town of Grazalema in Cadiz province on Monday this week, the area worst hit by the storms, where some 90 people still haven't been able to return to their own homes.

Montero said that regional aid offices will be set up in the town on Thursday to help those affected process their applications for this aid.

As such, Grazalema will be the first municipality to benefit from the aid rollout, which will be handled via a total of 14 offices that will travel throughout Andalucía to support and facilitate all the necessary procedures for those affected.

This includes 60,000 euros to make severely damaged houses habitable again. The aid package for agriculture exceeds 2.8 billion euros and includes 2,100 direct grants that will begin to be paid out in April.

Those most affected, those required to evacuate from their homes, will receive 150 euros per day per family member. Montero gave an example: "a family of four that's been away from their home for ten days would receive around 6,000 euros in direct, no-obligation aid, to try to compensate for expenses and inconvenience".

The Spanish government also plans to grant benefits for work stoppages or suspension of business activity through the ERTE scheme (temporary employment regulation file) and for damage to homes. In the case of very significant damage, up to 60,000 euros in aid will be available, quadrupling the usual amount for this type of assistance.

"The important thing now is the rollout of aid and streamlining all the procedures so that bureaucracy doesn't become an additional problem and we are able to help in the emergency and reconstruction of the economy," stated the Deputy PM.

The government will allocate aid for the economic recovery of three municipalities in particular, Grazalema and Benaocaz in Cadiz province and Dúdar in Granada province. The aid will range from around 5,000 euros for the self-employed and up to 120,000 euros for companies, depending on their turnover, so as to "bring their facilities back up to scratch as soon as possible".

The government has also allocated two billion euros in aid to the affected municipalities to restore infrastructure, streets, street lighting, roads and tracks.