Arlene McCarthy MEP and Brian Simpson MEP are stepping up their action to get urgent support for flood victims.

Today Arlene condemned North West BNP MEP Nick Griffin, and UKIP MEP Paul Nuttall for denying the effect that climate change is having in Cumbria and in so doing failing to represent the people of Cumbria.

Arlene said: “With 300 millimetres of rain falling in 24 hours, 16 bridges out of action, 25 roads closed and people left stranded and homeless and with more rain predicted climate change is wreaking havoc in Cumbria.”

“Brian and I are focusing on getting real help for the people of Cumbria to rebuild their lives, their community and the Cumbria economy. We are speaking up for Cumbria at the highest levels of the European Union and calling on the Government to access the European Solidarity fund.”

Notes for Editors:


Nick Griffin said:
•    Hysteria is a political project of the globalists to create a new world order, to tax and control us.
•    Climate Change is the new theology of the Left after Communism collapsed, with Al Gore as the Pope.
•    It (Global new world order) will be as deadly as anything imposed by Stalin or Mao.
Full speech here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getVod.do?mode=unit&language=EN&vodId=1259053854443

 
Paul Nuttall said:
•    Why is Greenland called Greenland, was it perhaps green when the world was hotter?
•    British people no longer believe in so-called manmade warming
•    Politicians have hijacked the agenda to raise taxes and control us

Full speech here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getVod.do?mode=unit&language=EN&vodId=1259054517933

The European Union Solidarity Fund
To enable itself to respond in a rapid, efficient and flexible manner to urgent situations, the Community has established a Solidarity Fund. This will intervene mainly in cases of major natural disasters with serious repercussions on living conditions, the natural environment or the economy in one or more regions of a Member State or a country applying for accession.
A natural disaster is considered as 'major' if:
•    in the case of a State, it results in damage estimated either at over EUR 3 billion (2002 prices), or at more than 0,6% of its gross national income;
•    by way of exception, the Fund may be mobilised for extraordinary regional disasters resulting in damage inferior to this threshold, affecting the major part of its population, with serious and lasting repercussions on living conditions and the economic stability of the region. In this context, particular attention is paid to remote and isolated regions, for example the outermost and island regions.
In these specific cases, the annual amount available is limited to no more than 7.5% of the annual amount allocated to the Solidarity Fund (i.e. 75 M).
Assistance from the Fund takes the form of a single and global grant, with no necessary co-financing, complementing the public efforts of the beneficiary State. Intended to finance measures alleviating non-insurable damage in principle, the urgent actions eligible for the Fund are the following:
•    Immediate restoration to working order of infrastructure and plant in the fields of energy, drinking water, waste water, telecommunications, transport, health and education.
•    Providing temporary accommodation and funding rescue services to meet the immediate needs of the population concerned.
•    Immediate securing of preventive infrastructures and measures of immediate protection of the cultural heritage.
•    Immediate cleaning up of disaster-stricken areas, including natural zones.
No later than ten weeks after the first damage caused by the disaster, the State affected should submit an application to the Commission for assistance from the Fund. It should provide all possible information on the damage caused by the disaster and its impact on the population and the economy. It must estimate the cost of the foreseen assistance and indicate any other sources of national, Community and/or international funding.
Beneficiary Member States must seek all possible reimbursement from third parties.