When there is still not even a definitive figure of fatalities and the residents of the 69 populations affected by DANAthat has devastated the province of Valencia still wishing to wake up from the nightmare, the analysis of the events to point towards a single person responsible for the catastrophe takes place day after day.
The counselor of Justice and Interior of the Valencian Generalitat, Salomé Pradascame out yesterday to respond to some information that suggests that she was the Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, the one who called her on several occasions to tell her to activate the UME. In these conversations, apparently, he would also be warning him of the need to take urgent measures.
Pradas gave several clues to the chronology of the October 29 during an interview in À Punt. Yesterday the counselor provided information that had gone unnoticed until now. It was the mayor of Utiel, the popular Ricardo Gabaldón, who called him at two in the afternoon to inform you of the worrying situation of the Magro riverwhich was overflowing.
“Neither the Government delegate, nor Aemet, nor the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation gave any notice about what was happening there.” Pradas claims that several conversations do occur, but never to encourage her to take any further action. The first communication between the two it occurs at 12:23. They talk about the situation caused by the rains in the province of Valencia, and agree to remain in contact in the event of any developments. The counselor tells the delegate that she is going to meet immediately with her entire emergency team at the Emergency Coordination Center. L’Eliana (Valencia).
At 12:48 p.m. they return have a telephone conversation. Pradas, the Generalitat states, is already with her emergency team and the councilor conveys to the delegate the concern about the situation in the town of Carlet, where she herself is traveling. After 2 p.m., Pradas communicates to Barnabas that requires the intervention of the UME due to the Utiel situation. At 3 p.m. the incorporation of the Army is formally requested. Pradas details that although the Cecopi is constituted in person, there is no representative from the CHJ nor from the Government Delegation and remember that communications became very complicated due to the storm that is already devastating Valencia.
It will not be until 7:30 p.m. when Pradas will speak again with a representative of the Government. On the other end of the phone is the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, who warns him that it cannot be guaranteed that the Forata dam will be able to withstand the very high flow of water.
The Es-Alert controversy
It is on alert 3, the maximum possible. It is then that, according to Pradas, it is decided use the ES-Alert system. She admitted that she was not aware of this mechanism and explains that there is currently no protocol to implement it, since it is pending approval by the National Civil Protection Commission.
Finally, the Forata dam resisted, which could have happened if it ended up breaking it would have been “apocalyptic.”
He also points out that the CHJ neglected the situation of the Poyo ravinesince it is not until 6:46 p.m. when they again receive data on the flow at this point, which was already 1,686 cubic meters per second.
Yesterday Pradas defended the decisions taken since Emergency Coordination Center and urged the Government delegate to clarify why she did not make her own decisions if she knew that the situation was so serious. He insists that he can do so if he sees fit.
For her part, the Government delegate chose not to make statements about the information that reveals the content of her conversations with Pradas. «I am not going to waste a minute explaining anything that happened that day. This moment will come.”
The socialist recalled that it is still “level 2” and there is an emergency “of enormous dimensions”, so she believes there will be time to talk about what each Administration did that day. «Everyone knows the responsibility they have». He criticized those who have chosen this attitude, “it is failing the citizens.”
The Confederation “informs and takes measures”
The Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) is in charge of monitoring and controlling the state of the reservoirs and also the flow of the rivers that flow into them. found within their boundaries. For this, it has measurement systems. According to official sources of this organization assured yesterdayyour work does not end there. That is, in the worst case scenariosuch as the breakage of the dam, you must notify the Emergency Coordination Center through 112, the General Directorate of Water, Government Subdelegation, and then “apply measures.”