Mazón does not resign and trusts his political future to reconstruction

“If I am not capable of leading the recovery that Valencians need, I will personally assume the political consequences by not opting for re-election, because this is assuming responsibility,” Mazón stated during his appearance at his own request in the Valencian Cortes to render accounts about its management.

A full monograph in which he has received strong criticism from the opposition due to the gaps that still remain to be clarified in his account of the events and the little self-criticism that Mazón has made about his role that fateful afternoon. Far from moving away from the front line and backed by the PP, Mazón has announced that the imminent remodeling of his Government -without mentioning names- will include a vice presidency to coordinate the economic and social recovery and a new Department of Emergencies and the Interior, with powers to review prevention and response protocols.

The head of the regional Executive has acknowledged errors and has apologized for the actions of the Generalitat during the tragedy. However, he has focused his shot on pointing out the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) – dependent on the Ministry for the Ecological Transition directed by Teresa Ribera – as responsible for a “two and a half hour information blackout” on the situation in the ravine of the Support that prevented an early response to its overflow.

All eyes were on the possible collapse of the Forata dam due to the flooding of the Magro River, which was what motivated, according to Mazón, a massive alert to be issued on mobile phones after eight in the afternoon. There was a second one at nine for the affected regions. Furthermore, he has reiterated on several occasions that All systems failed due to the “unprecedented” nature of the situation..

During two and a half hours of initial intervention and another two of debate, the PP baron has claimed “high-mindedness” to all administrations faced with a situation from which “politicians and technicians” have learned. Also in the face of reconstruction, appealing directly to the Government of Pedro Sánchez, from whom he has been demanding 31,000 million euros in aid. He has even spoken of avoiding “manipulation” and using the pain of victims. The popular ones will ask that a parliamentary investigation commission be opened in the Valencian Cortes on the management of the DANA and Mazón hopes that the same will also be done in the Cortes Generales.

«I am not going to deny failures. It is neither possible to do so, nor would it be useful,” he pointed out. «We do self-criticism. There were things that were not done well,” he stressed. “There was a lack of information and coordination” in the emergency response during the first hours. The Valencian president has defended that 112 was informing citizens, since Sunday the 27th, of the warnings that the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) was activating and the recommendations.

Also on Tuesday, October 29, the day of the catastrophe, from the first hour. “No Emergencies person from the Generalitat Valenciana was summoned” to the meeting that took place in the Government Delegation that morning, Mazón stated, despite the fact that there were already railway cuts and “300 trucks were stuck on the A-7.”

The head of the regional Executive has admitted that It was a mistake to remove iron from the storm saying that Aemet’s red notice would be deactivated at 6 p.m., something that ultimately did not happen, and that is why it removed these statements from its networks.

At noon, with information from the CHJ, Emergencies transferred the hydrological alert to the municipalities about the flooding of the Magro River and the Poyo ravine. Later, the Confederation sent three emails indicating “consecutive declines” on this boulevard, the last one at 4:13 p.m.

Despite this, Mazón stated, the Minister of Justice and Interior, Salomé Pradas, called the meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi) for 5 p.m. The next communication arrived at 6:43 p.m., warning that the flow of the Poyo ravine had skyrocketed. from 28.7 to 1,686 cubic meters per second.

«I did not delay the tasks that were being carried out»

“This is sent in a simple email,” he criticized, without calls or warnings about “the catastrophic consequences.” “The most striking thing,” he insisted, is that the representatives of the Confederation were at Cecopi and “no one said anything.”

Mazón has emphasized that the Hydrographic Confederation had the regulatory obligation and the competence to warn of the risk of overflowing ravines. information that was “fragmented, inaccurate and late.” It has also focused on the fact that part of its measurements “disappeared” from its website. Likewise, he has maintained before the Chamber that he maintained his agenda for the day thinking that resources were ready and coordinated before the announced cold drop.

Without alluding to the lunch he had with a journalist to offer to direct the Valencian public radio and television station, Mazón explained that he went to the Emergency Coordination Center in l’Eliana – where the Cecopi was meeting – when he was warned that the situation in The Forata dam was getting worse, although traffic congestion “lengthened the journey.”

“It was not necessary for anyone to update me, nor did I delay the tasks that were being carried out,” he stated before the deputies, without giving more details of his whereabouts at key times. Around nine at night, according to Mazón, he contacted Vice President María Jesús Montero to ask her to alert the Ministers of the Interior and Defense of the need for more troops.

The plenary session began with a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the tragedy. Dozens of people have gathered at the doors of the Valencian Parliament demanding the resignation of the president of the Generalitat.