The Government activates 75 million in urgent aid for the October floods

The Government of the Generalitat has approved Agreement GOV/242/2026, of October 6, which promotes urgent response, information, coordination, and support measures for the recovery of damages caused by the episodes of intense and torrential rains during the first days of October 2026 in Catalonia. The text is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat of Catalonia (DOGC) no. 9769, of October 8, 2026, in the Other Provisions section, with the official reference CVE-DOGC-A-26279067-2026. The agreement mobilizes three funding lines for an initial joint amount of 75 million euros and declares a climate emergency situation in the territory.

The agreement stems from a joint proposal by the Minister of the Presidency, the Minister of Economy and Finance, the Minister of Interior and Public Security, the Minister of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, the Minister of Enterprise and Labor, and the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food. It is signed by Javier Villamayor Caamaño, Secretary of the Government, in Barcelona on October 6, 2026. The preamble places the events within a context of climate change that increases the frequency and intensity of extreme phenomena, and recalls that Catalonia has repeatedly faced emergencies due to torrential rains, floods, and forest fires.

A week of extreme episodes

The downpours unfolded in three successive waves across much of the country:

• On October 2, precipitation hit the Terres de l’Ebre with particular intensity, especially the Baix Ebre and the Montsià, with very high accumulations, overflowing ravines, and impacts on mobility, infrastructure, housing, economic activities, and agricultural holdings.
• Between the afternoon of October 3 and October 4, a new episode affected the coast and the pre-coastal area, with particular incidence in the Maresme, the Vallès Oriental, the Barcelonès, the Vallès Occidental, the Selva, and the Baix Empordà; between 100 and 250 l/m² accumulated were recorded in just six to eight hours.
• During the early morning and morning of October 5, a third torrential wave arrived, with nearly 100 l/m² in parts of the Barcelonès and the Vallès Oriental.

The Special Emergency Plan for Floods in Catalonia (INUNCAT) was activated in the emergency phase on October 3, and temporary restrictions on mobility and activities were adopted in twenty counties. The episodes caused urban flooding, overflowing of rivers and streams, landslides, and widespread impacts on the road and rail networks, public transport, electricity supply, and essential equipment and services, including health centers. The agreement acknowledges the loss of human lives.

Three funding lines

Agreement GOV/242/2026 deploys differentiated economic instruments according to the recipient:

• 20 million euros, expandable, in direct grants to the city councils of the affected municipalities to recover, repair, and replace municipal infrastructures, facilities, and buildings.
• 5 million euros, expandable, in aid to the affected economic sectors, to finance unforeseen expenses and urgent investments for repair and resumption of activity.
• 50 million euros from the ICF Emergencies line, aimed at self-employed workers and companies, who will be able to advance insurance indemnities.
• The formal declaration that the episodes constitute a climate emergency situation in Catalonia, for the purposes of the regulations governing the ICF line.

The funding will be charged to the budget availabilities of the six involved departments, and the corresponding reserve will be made from the Contingency Fund.

Emergency contracting and assistance to those affected

The agreement enables contracts for repair, maintenance, replacement of goods, and damage assessments to be processed as emergency works, services, or supplies, in accordance with Article 120 of Law 9/2017, of November 8, on public sector contracts, with the prior agreement of the contracting body.

• The assessment of damages to watercourses, ravines, bridges, and other public infrastructures is entrusted to the Catalan Water Agency, Infraestructures de la Generalitat de Catalunya, SAU, and Forestal Catalana.
• The Department of the Presidency, through the General Directorate of Local Administration, will enable a specific space on the gencat.cat portal for local entities.
• Information for citizens and companies will be channeled through the 012 telephone line, the Integrated Citizen Service Offices, and the portals gencat.cat and canalempresa.gencat.cat.
• The territorial delegations of the Government will monitor the identified needs and the actions promoted.

For the municipalities, companies, and individuals of half the country hit by the floods, the agreement is the first formal economic response from the Generalitat and establishes the coordination framework between departments, local entities, and territorial delegations. The declaration of climate emergency opens the door to preferential ICF financing and the advancement of indemnities, while direct grants and the emergency processing of contracts seek to accelerate repairs that, due to their magnitude, will extend beyond autumn.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9769, October 8, 2026, Other Provisions, pp. 1-4 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26279067-2026).