List of storm damage submitted

The Balearic minister of the Interior, Josep Maria Costa, yesterday presented government representative Catalina Cirer, with a list of the damage to public property caused by the storms which lashed the Balearics in November. The central government will use these figures to approve a decree governing aid. Cirer said that this decree, which will also take into account damage to other regions, could be approved by April, and in addition to providing direct aid to town councils (about 50 per cent of the cost of repairs), it will also introduce fiscal benefits. Only four of the 68 municipalities in the Balearics have not presented an evaluation of damage to amenities, utilities and public properties. The cost of repairing the damage comes to 35'195'253 euros (5'855 million pesetas). Damage to public property in Majorca has been evaluated at 29.8 million euros; 2.6 million euros in Minorca, 2.5 million euros in Ibiza and 168'348 euros in Formentera. The worst hit municipalities were Alcudia (7.67 million euros), Santa Margalida (5.95 million), Pollensa (5.46 million), Ciutadella in Minorca (.186 million), Soller (1.86 million), Capdepera (1.35 million) and Calvia (1.23 million). Costa said that the figures were reached after a series of meetings with representatives of all the councils, during which the method of evaluating damage was agreed. Asked if the local government would seek the aid of the Army to remove the thousands of trees blown down during the storms, Costa ruled this out for the time being: “the administrations of the Balearic Islands have sufficient means”, he said. Cirer said that the various administrations had already collaborated in the immediate aftermath of the storms. She added that the central government had already approved special grants of 2'000 million pesetas for restoring the coast line.