The number of 229 people who died on October 29, 2024 is already enough to remember the magnitude of the tragedy that the province of Valencia experienced. The diagnosis report prepared by the second vice president for Reconstruction, Francisco José Gan Pampolsconcludes that the flood impacted more than 300,000 persons and raises the number of affected municipalities to one hundred. It caused damage estimated at around 17.8 billion eurossince a total of 11,242 homes, 10,000 elevators, 141,000 vehicles, 800 kilometers of roads, bridges… The water destroyed everything in its path. In addition to the fatalities, more than 2,600 people were injured, 37,000 rescues and 117,000 medical assistance were carried out.
Reviewing the events of that day serves to analyze the chronology of a catastrophe. On the eve of the 29th, Valencians went to sleep with an orange notice from Aemet. Even so, there were about 60 municipalities that in anticipation of what was coming suspended classes. but only Algemesí and Utiel They are among those in the so-called ground zero.
At 6:36 hours On the 29th, Aemet begins to change its forecast and raises the southern coast of Valencia to the red level. Having received this notice, the Emergency Coordination Center begins to transfer this information on its social networks and to city councils. Indicate on social network X that there is an “extreme weather risk.” It is not yet 9 in the morning and Emergencies has issued the first message to the citizens insisting on the danger that exists due to the rains.
Shortly after, at 9:43 a.m.issues a new report indicating that the red alert remains until 6:00 p.m. This information is one of those that the Generalitat has repeated the most, since they affirm that they were given to understand that the rains were not going to last throughout the day.
At 9:30 a.m. The Government delegate, Pilar Bernabé, calls a meeting of the state organizations involved in the management of this type of disaster. Barnabas appears before the media at 12:00 hours and transmits Aemet’s forecast, with the horizon that at 6:00 p.m. The danger is reduced, as the dana will move north. He also states that the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) “is on the ground.”
At 11:38 hoursthe CHJ communicates by email to the Generalitat the first alarming message about the flow in the Magro River, since it is already 350 cubic meters per second and with an upward trend. Bernabé and the then Minister of Emergencies, Salomé Pradas, speak for the first time.
At 12:20 p.m.the Emergency Center issues a notice to all municipalities affected by the Poyo ravine. The CHJ reported at 12:07 p.m. that the flow has grown to 264 cubic meters per second.
At 12:30 p.m.Pradas arrives at the Emergency Coordination Center, it has previously been in Carlet, where there had already been flooding without causing personal injury.
At 12:45 p.m. The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, repeats the latest report from Aemet in which it is stated that the storm is moving towards the north.
Emergencies request that forest firefighters head towards the Magro River and the Poyo ravine, they are the 12:48 hours. They will leave a little later. At 1:42 p.m. An email from the CHJ communicates that the flow of the Poyo has dropped to 120 cubic meters per second. The Magro River has overflowed.
1:45 p.m.. Mazón meets with employers and unions at the Palau de la Generalitat. At the end, about the 3:00 p.m.heads to a nearby restaurant to have lunch with Maribel Villaplana.
At 2:06 p.m., Pradas asks Bernabé to activate the UME to act in Utiel.
Pradas calls a Cecopi for the 5:00 p.m.. TO 4:55 p.m., The CHJ communicates by email that in the next hour flows of more than 1,000 cubic meters per second are expected in the Magro River due to the relief of the dam. The situation begins to get complicated. The flow of the Poyo, according to the CHJ, has continued to decline. From this moment on, all attention is focused on the Forata dam.
At 17:52 hours scenario 1 is activated in the aforementioned reservoir. The dam is pouring 1,000 cubic meters per second into the Magro River. The situation will soon worsen and it is moved to stage 2.
At 18:33 hours The Poyo ravine is already overflowing. Ten minutes later the email will arrive indicating that the flow is 1,686 cubic meters per second. According to the Generalitat, they have no news of the evolution of this flow for two hours. From the CHJ they insist that all the information was arriving automatically, although it is true that the president of this organization, Miguel Polo, admitted that he did not alert about this situation verbally in the Cecopi, to which he was connected telematically, because he assumed that the Generalitat was aware of the situation.
According to the CHJ, it warns that the flow of the Poyo continues to grow up to 2,282 cubic meters per second, however, Emergencies says it has no evidence.
They are the 18:59 hours and in Cecopi the content of an Es Alert is being discussed to, according to the Generalitat, warn of the risk of Forata breaking. There has been an hour without a telematic connection.
At 8:11 p.m. the message arrives on the cell phones, later Mazón arrives at the Cecopi, they are the 8:28 p.m.
Are 9:20 p.m. Mazón appears at Cecopi explaining the seriousness of the situation and admits that he still has no information. At 11:50 p.m. will appear again to affirm that there have been fatalities.