A new crack postpones until September the return of some affected by the L9 sinkhole
The Firefighters detect a structural affectation in a basement that prevents restoring normality to 40% of the neighbors
BarcelonaBad news in the Putxet neighborhood of Barcelona. After days of work and a positive evolution so that the residents affected by the sinkhole caused by the L9 works – nearly 300 people – could gradually return home on July 7, there has been a structural setback that will prevent normality, for the moment, for the inhabitants of Rubinstein, Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, and Teodora Lamadrid streets.
The Director General of Infrastructure and Mobility of the Generalitat, Ramon Ramírez, reported this Friday that on Wednesday night a crack was detected which has since been confirmed to correspond to a "small cavity" in the basement of the building at number 2 Rubinstein street. The discovery has prompted new inspections.
Therefore, Ramírez assured that efforts are now focused on "consolidating the ground and stabilizing this new cavity," which means that, for a few days, the residents of number 2 Rubinstein will not be able to access their homes, not even accompanied by the Firefighters. Actions are also focused on numbers 4 Rubinstein and 3 and 5 Teodora Lamadrid, the area considered most affected from the outset.
The Government delegate in Barcelona, Pilar Díaz, assured that the return schedule remains in place. After the residents of numbers 56 and 58 Sant Gervasi de Cassoles and number 6 Rubinstein street have already returned, next week residents of number 54 Sant Gervasi de Cassoles will be able to start returning. Díaz also announced that the 48 residents who have requested economic advances to cover extraordinary expenses "will have them in their current account either today or Monday." In addition, she reported that about thirty tenants have taken advantage of the suspension of rent payment for the month of August.
Regarding support for affected businesses, Díaz explained that the Generalitat is working with the Catalan Institute of Finance to provide liquidity to merchants so they can cover expenses such as rent, payroll, or bills while their establishments remain closed. Currently, 16 merchants have applied for this financing line, which they expect to receive "between today and next week" and which will be subsequently deducted from the compensation they are entitled to.
The head of the Barcelona Firefighters, Sebastià Massagué, has confirmed that the cracks detected on Wednesday night in the basement of number 2 Rubinstein street are of an "structural" nature, a fact that has forced the modification of the operation and the prioritization of safety. For this reason, access for residents to the building has been temporarily restricted while stabilization work is carried out.
No more returns until September
The Generalitat has confirmed that, beyond the planned return of residents of number 54 Sant Gervasi de Cassoles next week, there will be no further returns during August. The rest of the buildings are not expected to return to normal until September, after the new incident has forced the consolidation work to be extended.
So far, four out of the eight evacuated properties have been able to return, representing 62% of the residents evacuated on July 7th. The return of 38% of the affected homes, which are still undergoing consolidation work, is still pending. In the case of number 54 Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, there is still no concrete return date, as it will depend on the issuance of the three technical certificates that guarantee its safety and the availability of the residents themselves. The reincorporation will be done on a housing-by-housing basis and with the accompaniment of a technician, who will verify that each apartment is in the same condition as before the incident.
Officials have also ruled out that the new cavity has caused damage to supplies: no incidents have been detected in the gas network or other basic services, and they have clarified that the inspections carried out by the supply company before the residents' return are part of the usual safety protocol and do not respond to any emergency.
According to the Generalitat, the new cavity was detected thanks to the monitoring systems and the daily inspections carried out in the affected buildings. The consolidation work will continue throughout August and, if the situation evolves favorably, the Government hopes to be able to finalize a new schedule for the return of the evacuated residents by the end of the month.