The floods caused by heavy rainfall of DANA have hit the Valencian Country, Castilla-La Mancha, Málaga and other provinces hard. The fatalities are close to one hundredwhile emergency services continue searching for dozens of missing people.
The Government has declared official mourning for three days due to the devastating effects of the storm. Images of rescues from flooded areas have shown people trapped on roofs, trucks or building structures under construction. But, How do I find out if I am in a flood zone? There are several tools available, such as National Flood Zone Mapping System (SNCZI), which can help you know “How far can the water go in a hypothetical river flood”as explained to Public an expert
Through the website, which you can consult clicking herethe tool provides the information necessary to know if your area is at risk of flooding. He SNCZI has been collecting flood risk data for 12 years, and It has been updated this year with 500 km more around each hydrographic basin so that the entire territory is analyzed and studied.
The expert has explained to Public that this tool It consists of hazard maps with flood zones in the country’s channels. Flood spots appear on these maps that are associated with study hypotheses, which are based on a European initiative. “In the areas that nothing appears does not mean that there cannot be floods, but that it may not have been studied yet”clarifies.
How to use the SNCZI website step by step
First of all, as soon as you enter the website, a menu on the left with different options and the first of them is the search for dams and reservoirswith a different section for each one. By searching for one and clicking the icon locationdirects the exact point; and clicking on the icon foliodirects the data of said dam or reservoir.
The next group of web options is the dph and zi (Public Hydraulic Domain and Flood Zones), where you can search for a specific channel and its exact location. To see the full extension of said channel there is a symbol located at the top (second from right to left) called “table of contents”. In it will appear a option to view the base map and locate the roads close to the channel.
Within this table, the option “add services” and one of the most useful services is, by clicking on the fourth option (“Mapping of flood zones (ZI) of river origin), “hazard maps”.
In this option “add services” There are numerous truly useful options in these situations, but the one that is most useful is “danger due to river flooding”, where when clicking twice the map that represents it opens. There are also the options of flood zones of maritime origin and channels with public hydraulic studies.
All options are represented on the map by clicking twice about them.
How does this tool help citizens?
The spots that appear on the maps provide a idea of how far the water can reach in a hypothetical river flood. The expert told Público that “the first thing is to know if you are located in an area with risk of flooding.” “If you are near a riverbed and You know that it is an area that is in danger of flooding, measures can be taken accordingly.“he points out.
In the Flood Directivecomposed of three phases, the third “establishes flood risk management plans and proposes measures to solve these problems“, according to the expert.
He National Flood Zone Mapping System (SNCZI) is a tool that, without a doubt, helps a lot. The expert states how badly and little we have taken care of our riversadds that “we have built in an uncontrolled manner very close” to them.
How to interpret which are the most dangerous areas?
The published maps have two phases, as the expert explains, in which the first consists of hazard maps “that They have a model that represents what the land and cities are like, and they prepare a hydrological study to calculate the water that will circulate.” This translates into the possible danger, “what could happen”he points out. In addition, the land use in each plot of land is shown and the real risk for people is extracted.
Could the consequences of DANA have been avoided?
The State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) gave the first warning last Sunday at noon, when it issued a report in which it warned of a DANA that wasIt was more intense on the Mediterranean slope. In said report, it was warned that the worst part of the meteorological situation would begin on Monday the 28th and that Tuesday the 29th would be “the peak day of this episode.”
Furthermore, the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation warned last Tuesday afternoon of the situation of “extreme danger” in Valencia.
But, despite numerous warnings, The alert from the Generalitat Valenciana reached the cell phones of the citizens of the province of Valencia at 8:12 p.m. last Tuesday, at which time numerous citizens were already suffering the consequences of DANA. In fact, at noon last Tuesday, Carlos Mazónpresident of the Generalitat, declared that there were forecasts that the severity of the situation would be reduced and that It was expected that the intensity would decrease around 6:00 p.m. in the community.
On the other hand, the Flood Directive provides “priority areas with potential flood risk“says the expert. “Each competent basin agency knows which are the most problematic areas because they have knowledge of the terrain”highlights the expert, “as an example, Júcar is very clear about its danger zones and the Guadalquivir is clear about its danger zones.”
With the information provided by these maps, the legal zones are determined, where “there are supposed to be restricted uses”according to the expert. Before the existence of this tool, it was very difficult to know what those areas were, but not now and “the competent body should know whether it should take the risk or notsince the information is published and is being updated,” declares the expert.
What is a DANA?
DANA are the initials of Isolated Depression at High Levels and it is a set of a mass of hot air and cold air, which causes the creation of clouds with a large amount of water, and which results in heavy rainfall and, consequently, in floods, since the number of liters per square meter that accumulates They can be uncontrollable.
As a result of this weather situation, The east and south of the Iberian Peninsula are being affected by torrential rains.
The most serious floods in the last 75 years
Floods caused by rainfall DANA in the Valencian Country, Castilla-La Mancha, Málaga and other provinces, have meant the greatest tragedy caused by rain in the 21st century.
The biggest hydrological catastrophe in the country it was At the end of September 1962, in the Catalan region of Vallès Occidental, where – in three hours – more than 200 l/m² accumulated and there were a thousand deaths from Terrassa and Rubí (Barcelona).
In the Valencian Country, there was a similar catastrophe in 1982. The Júcar river overflowed in Valencia and the Tous dam broke, causing the death of 38 people and the evacuation of another 100,000.
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