The Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, attended this XXX to the photographic exhibition promoted by the Dance Good Ethnographic Group, in Los Llanos de Aridane, an exhibition that collects images of homes, businesses and emblematic places disappeared after the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano in 2021. During the visit, the Commissioner was accompanied by the president of the Association of Neighbors of La Laguna, Marcelino Rodríguez, honor guide of the show, who explained the historical, emotional and patrimonial value of this collection of images donated by affected neighbors of La Laguna, Todoque and Las Mancha.

The Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, held a working meeting with representatives of Mental Health La Palma, the association born in 1998 of families and people with mental health problems in the Aridane Valley. The objective is to know first-hand the situation of people with mental health problems and families affected by the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano, as well as to monitor the social and emotional needs that continue to be present almost five years after the emergency.

The Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, has announced that next October work will begin to execute new surveys in the subsoil of the so-called black area of Playa Chica, where high concentrations of CO2 of volcanic origin persist. The performance comes after the very positive results obtained in the tests carried out in recent months by the Eduardo Torroja Institute of Construction Sciences (IETCC-CSIC) and the National Geographic Institute (IGN), together with the Island Council, aimed at depressurizing the subsoil at the northern end of Puerto Naos.

El Comisionado Especial para la Reconstrucción de La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, ha participado en la inauguración de la planta de maduración de la empresa Europlátano, en Orozko (Vizkaya), que madurará y distribuirá plátanos de Canarias por toda la cornisa cantábrica, Galicia y el centro-norte de la Península. La nave tiene una capacidad para gestionar 40.000 toneladas de plátano canario al año y ha requerido de una inversión de en torno a 24 millones de euros.

The evolution of the employment rate in La Palma during the last years reflects the strong impact that the volcanic eruption of 2021 and, at the same time, the capacity for progressive recovery of the island economy. After the relatively stable levels recorded between 2019 and the beginning of 2021, the eruption of the volcano caused a sudden alteration of the labor market, especially in the Aridane Valley, the main economic engine of the island. The graph shows how, after that episode, the employment rate began a path of sustained recovery, supported both in the reconstruction work and in the gradual recovery of business and tourism activity.

The national economic press daily 'Expansión' published in the paper edition and also online on Saturday, May 9, 2026, an in-depth interview with the Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of the island of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo. It analyses the actions in the field of social, economic and environmental recovery that have taken place since the eruption of the Tajogaite so that today, four and a half years since the catastrophe, has been achieved, paraphrasing the article itself "that La Palma begins to see the light".

The Eduardo Torroja Institute of Construction Sciences, belonging to the CSIC, is testing in Puerto Naos and La Bombilla an innovative system to reduce the accumulation of CO2 in homes and buildings affected after the volcanic eruption of La Palma. The project is carried out under the coordination of the Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma and with the support of the island council. Its purpose is to make it easier for families to return home safely and in the shortest possible time.

The Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, has held a working meeting with the Secretary of State for Youth and Children, Rubén Pérez Correa, with the aim of analyzing measures aimed at promoting the permanence of youth on the island and advancing demographic rejuvenation strategies. During the meeting, both parties agreed that the retention of talent is one of the main structural challenges of La Palma, accentuated after the volcanic eruption of 2021, which aggravated already existing problems such as youth emigration and the lack of job opportunities.

The Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, met with researchers from the Institute of Catalysis and Petroleochemistry (ICP-CSIC), together with the head of the CO₂ Alert project of the National Geographic Institute (IGN), Carmen López, to learn first-hand about the progress of the state institution in terms of the capture and transformation of gases, one of the main challenges in La Palma after the eruption. This joint effort integrates first-level scientific knowledge with real needs of the territory, especially in areas such as Puerto Naos and La Bombilla, where the accumulation of CO₂ in soils and buildings continues to condition the safe return of the population.

The recent institutional visit to La Palma by the Mental Health Commissioner, Belén González, highlighted the importance of coordination between different areas of the Government in the recovery process of the island. In this context, the Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, participated in the event evidencing the integration of reconstruction policies with attention to the emotional well-being of the population. The Day Centre and the Night Unit of San Andrés y Sauces, visited by the authorities, was valued and implemented with the investment of 1.5 million euros from the Ministry of Health, transferred through an agreement with the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands following the eruption of the Tajogaite volcano.