| Jorge Santos gets first-hand look at flood damage | ||||
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Jorge Santos, the leader of opposition party MpD, arrived Tuesday on the island of Santo Antão to verify the extent of the damage caused by the recent flash floods in the municipality of Ribeira Grande. Santos has already visited stretches of the road linking the town of Ribeira Grande (also known as Povoação) to the villages in Ribeira Grande valley, which was partially destroyed this weekend, and intends to express his solidarity with those affected. Jorge Santos’ visit comes as the result of a directive established during the last meeting of the MpD’s National Directorship, which recommended that the party’s legislators representing the electoral circles on Santo Antão, São Vicente and São Nicolau visit the islands to evaluate the dimension of the damage. The MpD hopes to gather data to help it formulate a proposal to the government for the creation of a national fund to assist those affected “by the natural catastrophe that hit the archipelago’s northern islands.” As such, the opposition party has sent delegations not only to Santo Antão, but also to São Vicente and to the town of Ribeira Brava (on São Nicolau), where the damage caused by flash flooding appears to be most severe. Before sending out its delegations, the MpD accused the government of doing nothing to help those municipalities “dealing with the flooding and destruction of various infrastructures.” Prime Minister José Maria Neves and Minister of Infrastructures and Transportation Manuel Inocêncio Sousa visited the island of São Nicolau on Sunday, and admitted the possibility of mobilizing aid from international entities in order to help municipal authorities and the local population deal with the aftermath of the rains.           |
