Following a recent meeting at the council headquarters in Malaga, an agreement has been made to create a quick communication channel to inform foreign residents on the Costa del Sol in the case of an emergency. Diplomatic representatives from 16 different countries, including the United Kingdom, attended the meeting and will use the new channel from now on to deliver all useful information and updates to each country, directly from the consulates.
Whenever there is an emergency the consulates will act as mouth pieces to the diplomatic representatives, passing on all information in real time with no mediators. After recent events such as the catastrophic fires on the Costa del Sol and the floods in Andalucia, communication is more important than ever and the new way of communicating with communities will help maintain calm and alleviate concerns amongst foreign residents.
This has got to be an important step forward in the communication between local government and foreign communities which is so often flawed due to the fact that foreigners do not always live here full time and do not speak Spanish. Allowing the consulates to communicate with them in their own language and through their local expat media and online will be an important way to make sure everyone knows the key information and can make the right decisions.
There are already excellent foreigners’ offices in the Marbella area where the staff speak many languages and can help you to find out information and get things done if you don’t speak Spanish. Visit the Marbella Town Hall Foreigners Department website to contact your nearest office.
Read your local press to stay up to date with what’s happening and subscribe to news feeds like Typically Spanish for the latest news in English. Keep in touch with your urbanization via a community website and you will definitely stay in the loop with issues on a national and local level.