05 Feb La Palma Reconstruction – January 2024

Puerto Naos - Access to 40 more homes in the green and orange zones of Puerto Naos have been granted given continuous CO2 concentrations of below 700ppm. Disabled people during the eruption – A spokesperson for the Association of the Physically Disabled of La Palma (ADFILPA), Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Rocha, has detailed how the disabled have been discriminated against in the response to the 2021 eruption. New homes for those affected by the eruption – A project to provide 37 homes in the municipality of Tazacorte has been accepted. Lack of aid for students – The PSOE party has highlighted the lack of aid for students affected by the volcano.

25 Jan La Palma Reconstruction – December 2023

€100 million for recovery: The Council of Ministers has approved a €100 million subsidy from the Government of Spain for the economic recovery of La Palma following the 2021 eruption. This aid will be managed by the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands. It will be financed from the 2023 state budget. Reconstruction decree: On the 18th of December, the Government of the Canary Islands approved Decree Law 9/2023 titled the “Territorial and Urban Planning Measures for the Economic and Social Recovery of the Island of La Palma after the Tajogaite Volcanic Eruption”. The role of faith-based organisations: A short report has been published by a Doctoral Student at the University of Cambridge Rosie Rice, also a GeoTenerife contributor, on the role of faith-based organisations and charities in the aftermath of the eruption, focusing particularly on the charity Caritas. The report can be read here under the ‘Published Articles and Opinion Pieces’ tab. Tourism figures: The latest figures show that, compared to pre-volcano and pre-Covid, international tourist numbers remain very low in La Palma.

04 Dec La Palma Reconstruction – November 2023

1,296 farmers forced to return €3.5 million in aid: €3.5 million in aid for loss on income to farmers is going to be returned, because it is understood that mismanagement by the previous institution of the funds lead to many some receiving more aid than they were shown to have lost. This is because these payments had been made based on estimates of damage, rather than definitive data that were available later. The government presents the territorial and urban planning decree:  Summary: This decree, which has been worked on since the eruption ended, has been presented to the affected platforms and neighbourhood associations. This decree will also be followed by a new agricultural decree, and two more decrees on housing and economic development, which will provide the legal framework for reconstruction of the island going forward. Puerto Naos and La Bombilla: Another company has been hired to investigate the origin and situation of the gases, and the island President is hoping to fix a date to move forward.