A thousand applauses for Catarroja: a heartfelt tribute to the Aragonese DANA device

Firefighters, soldiers, civil protection personnel, health workers, psychologists, farmers and even journalists. All of them received the Medal of Aragon on Tuesday, the highest distinction of the Community, for their role in the Aragonese aid effort in the town of Catarroja after the impact of the DANA. Nearly a thousand people participated in the event held at the Zaragoza Congress Palace . A “hug between Valencians and Aragonese ”, as the DGA wanted to call it, a few days after two months of one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Spain and with the neighbouring region still far from returning to normal.

The albadas of Labordeta, “La Tronada” of La Ronda de Boltaña, the drums and, above all, the applause, have broken the silence in the auditorium, standing in front of the mayor of Algemesí, José Javier Sanchís and the representatives of the Catarroja council. With a video, the first mayor Lorena Silvent has said to be “eternally grateful”. “You gave us hope, now we continue working tirelessly to recover our city and our lives, we count on all your support, all your strength”, she assured.

Sanchís was able to leave Algemesí more than 40 days later despite continuing to be immersed in reconstruction tasks. “It is comforting to be here today after the tragedy and to see that the union of an Autonomous Community has contributed to citizens being much better off than before. Thanks to all the volunteers, companies and public servants,” he said.
An afternoon to remember among images of mud, piled up cars and flooded streets. What Aragón found days after the storm, on November 2, when it reached sector three of the town. Manuel Vergara, from the staff of the left bank of the Ebro of the 112, remembers it together with his colleagues. “We went down to help people. Despite removing mud and clearing debris, the important thing was to meet people who were having a hard time. The human experience beyond any type of work that is helping with infrastructure. That is eternal now ” he emphasizes.

For Carlos, a local police officer from Utebo who went to Valencia to provide support, the event left a bittersweet taste. The “sincere and heartfelt” recognition from the authorities does not cover up “ what is still there ”. “There is a lot of work and we have lost people there. Now we are more united than ever”, he admits.

The Aragonese president, Jorge Azcón, has focused on these links , and has estimated that more than a thousand people have gone through a “reference” operation. “For weeks, you left your lives behind to help. Our premise was to work until we were no longer needed,” he continued. The flag of Aragon, he says, was “high up.” That same symbol, which presided over the contingent in the Catarrogian town and where the troops left their signature, will now be placed in the 112 premises in the Pignatelli Building. In another of the courtyards there is already an orange tree as a symbol of the union between both regions.

The Executive has ended by breaking protocol at the ceremony. The anthem of Aragon was not played as a closing song, but the Valencian one, in memory of the more than 220 dead and missing. The event was attended by the spokespersons of the parties in the Cortes, the mayor of Zaragoza, Natalia Chueca, representatives of the provincial councils, councillors of the DGA, the delegate of the Government, Fernando Beltrán, the president of the Cortes, Marta Fernández, and members of the social agents.