The Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, called four times in just over an hour and a half on DANA day to offer the Valencian Generalitat the help of Pedro Sánchez’s Executive to face the consequences of the storm. In the first three, this offer of relief fell on deaf ears, as Cadena SER reported this Wednesday.
The calls offering the intervention of the UME were made by Pilar Bernabé to the Minister of Justice and Interior, Salomé Pradas, at 12:23 p.m., at 12:48 p.m. and at 2 p.m., after having received the AEMET meteorological red alert. and the warning from the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) of the risk of overflows of the Magro River and the Poyo ravine, but the government of Carlos Mazón considered that it did not yet need State resources to help the population.
As elDiario.es has also been able to confirm, these calls occurred on the fateful Tuesday, October 29, when the Government delegate had already canceled her agenda early in the morning after receiving the red alert from AEMET at 7:30 a.m. At that time, Pilar Bernabé met with the UME, Civil Guard, Civil Protection and those responsible for the State’s highways so that they were activated in response to the episode of heavy rains that initially worsened in the regions of Requena-Utiel and Ribera Alta.
After this meeting, an external communication phase begins. Thus, through social networks, at 8:30 a.m. the Government delegation already warned of the difficult day ahead and recommended paying attention to the alerts and the civil authorities.
Subsequently, there is a first telematic communication with the mayors at 9:30 a.m. in the area threatened by DANA to inform them of the alert, despite it not being their responsibility. Many of these mayors had already canceled the Tuesday school day the night before, and others the same Tuesday morningon a day in which the DANA was moving from the south of the province of Valencia towards the northwest regions. The same Department of Education offered information on the municipalities that had canceled their classes and updated communications as that number increased.
Around 10 a.m. the situation became complicated and the delegation already warned of the maximum red level warning.
The delegate also met in the morning with the CHJ to analyze the situation of the DANA together with the AEMET delegation, the General Directorate of Traffic, the Civil Guard, the National Police, the UME, Adif, Renfe and the Highway Demarcation .
Around noon, the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation begins to communicate that the accumulated water is causing problems in river beds and ravines, which are beginning to overflow in some municipalities, so environmental agents toured the Demarcation to find out the conditions.
At 12:07 p.m., the CHJ communicated the hydrological alert to the institutions. As a result, at 12:20 p.m. the Generalitat issues a special warning for the Poyo ravine. Three minutes later, at 12:23 p.m., the delegate makes the first call to Minister Pradas, responsible for the emergency area to offer the State’s resources to the Generalitat, and explains that she has prepared the device of her resources. But the counselor does not consider it necessary and informs him that they will nevertheless remain in contact and that he will meet in l’Eliana with his emergency team.
25 minutes later, at 12:48 p.m., delegate Bernabé insists and calls the counselor again to offer her the means. Salomé Pradas’ response is that she is going to move to Carlet, a town in Ribera Alta, south of Valencia, which has been one of the first affected by DANA and where there is a danger of the Magre River overflowing. Three minutes later, Emergencies issue the special notice that was declared half an hour earlier through social networks.
After this warning, the UME also issues warnings to the population through social networks and there is no doubt about the seriousness. This post from 1:20 p.m. warned of torrential rains on the Mediterranean coast, and even echoed the recommendations of Civil Protection, such as those that referred to avoiding crossing flood zones, and even others that explained how to act if we see each other. Trapped inside a car by water.
The third call from the Government delegate was made at 2 p.m., and the offer of help was not accepted either.
In the end, the situation encourages the Minister of Justice to accept the reinforcement of resources in a fourth call minutes later, but these will not be deployed on a general basis. The UME will be limited to the Requena-Utiel region.
When the Military Emergency Unit reports the deployment at 5 p.m., it already shows images of flooding in Utiel with several meters of flooding.
Cadena SER adds that the minister summons the Cecopi emergency coordination center at 5 p.m., explaining that it is not operational, and in which The president of the Generalitat himself, Caros Mazón, is not there. At around 7 p.m., and after the call from the mayor of Paiporta, Maribel Albalat, she warned that “from my window I see my town flooding.” That’s when a leader at the meeting asks, “Shall we launch the alert?” And this will be sent at 8:12 p.m.
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