Aemet informed the Generalitat at 13.26 on the day of the Dana of the start of “river floods”

The State Meteorology Agency (AEMET) reported in a timely and updated way of the evolution of the DANA to the Emergency Coordination Center (CCE) of the Generalitat Valenciana on October 29, the day the flood left 224 deaths and three missing .

According to the documentation collected by eldiaria.es, at 07.36 hours the prediction and surveillance group east of Aemet Valencia calls Civil Protection of the Generalitat to inform the red notice in South Coast, from which the calls and updates were constant not only from Aemet, but also of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ).

Specifically, Aemet established communications via telephone with emergencies of the Generalitat and vice versa up to 15 times to update the forecast, which I was publishing on its social networks: it was at 7.31 hours; at 7.36; at 7.54 twice; at 9.43; at 11.26; at 11.36; at 11.37; at 11.54; at 11.55; at 12.01; at 13.26; at 16.13; at 16.23; At 18.09 and 18.10. Aemet called the Emergency Coordination Center to notify the prolongation of the red notice that the agency had already communicated at 5:54 p.m., some calls that were not treated. Aemet had to hang the emergency calls of the Generalitat of 11.36, 11.37 and 11.51 because it was not heard well. Subsequently, they recovered and updated the connection.

One of them, that of 13.26 hours, warns of precipitation values ​​on the southern coastal area where the rains do not cease, of very high precipitation records at many points and there is already talk about “the floods of the rivers and about the Utiel area ”.

The spokesman of the State Meteorology Agency, Rubén del Campo, warned in an interview on a national television at 13.59 hours that the province of Valencia was in “Red Notice” and recommended moving away from channels and flood areas and not traveling unless it is “Strictly necessary.” He warns that during the afternoon and night a “very complicated situation” is expected in the Valencian Community.

One of Aemet's key calls to Civil Emergency Protection occurred at 16.23 hours. According to the aforementioned documentation, the prediction and surveillance group east of Aemet Valencia called Civil Protection of the Generalitat and told him that it was going to “raise the notice of the southern coast of Valencia to red until 6:00 p.m., which had ended At 12.00 and had continued as orange (in the areas of northern Valencia it continued to be red until 6 pm). ”

On that same call they were informed of the formation of a very slow movement storm located between the southern coast and northern coast, to the west or southwest of the city of Valencia and the Albufera. They asked if he was going to Valencia and they were answered that he spent the west of Valencia, very close to her, but not on top. They were informed that this storm was causing rainfall of more than 100 mm in just one hour and that there were reports of the formation of a tornado in Alginet.

Emergencies replied that they had not received wind calls, just for rain and that that was what worried them at that time. He asked about the forecast for the Utiel-Requena area, since they received calls from there, but they could not access to perform the rescue due to the floods: “The images of the Radar of Valencia and the past of the 06 UTC of Harmonie were consulted And they were informed that at that time it was no longer raining torrentially and that it was not expected to do it again, although rain was foreseen during the night and that it would not send until the next morning. They were told that at that time the worst was on the coast. ” At that time, neither the Cecopi had been held (it was summoned at 5:00 p.m.) nor did President Carlos Mazón have finished his food.

Between 6:09 p.m. and 6:10 p.m., the East Prediction and Surveillance Group North of Valencia for the persistence of the storm (in the north and the south coast they finished at 6:00 p.m.), but the calls did not attend. ” Then there was also no incoming Civil Protection call from Valencia to Aemet. In these hours the possibility of launching the alarm to the entire population had already launched, as published by this newspaper. However, Mazón arrived at the Cecopi after 7.30 pm and the alert message was sent at 20.12 hours.

Aemet statement

In relation to the audio published by some media in which the conversation between a Aemet meteorologist and a technique of the 112 of the Generalitat Valenciana on October 29, the Aemet has clarified that “the meteorologist moves to the exercise of its functions, which at 12.01 noon the forecasts “have been confirmed” and that “no changes have been made.” Therefore, he indicated that “the prediction was maintained and reaffirmed in the red level notices due to torrential rainfall that had been activated for the province of Valencia between 7:36 and 9:41 in the morning. Throughout the morning there had been conversations between Aemet and 112 of the Generalitat Valenciana to promptly inform the situation. ”

In the audio filtered from the PP, the meteorologist affirms: “We are not going to dizzy with more notices. The maximum rainfall will go north and, above all, inward. ”

As explained by the Aemet statement, “these notices are sent to emergency services and also reinforce with telephone calls when there is an extreme danger, as was the case. The audio shows the diligence of the officials of this agency in the execution of their functions to ensure that emergency services handle updated information at all times. ”

Meteorological notices, the agency's writing continues, are in permanent review and, even if they are issued up to a specific hour, “they can be modified whether surveillance or new forecasts estimate it appropriate.” In the case of October 29, “the red level notices were in force at first until 6 pm, although in the afternoon they extended until 10 pm in the areas where the rains were more abundant. The call in question does not confirm this extreme. ”

The meteorologist's statement that the “maximum rainfall will go north and inland” coincides with what happened from noon, the time of the call, because “during the morning the most important rains had registered in The south of the province of Valencia and in the afternoon were focused on the interior of the province and further north. The fact that these rains fell into the indicated area caused greater problems, as it caused the flood and overflows of channels, something that does not usually happen when the rains are close to the coast. ”

The call, therefore, “was intended to confirm the validity of the red level notices, which involve extreme danger, and the prognosis that the most intense rainfall would occur in the area where they finally occurred. Aemet staff acted at all times as indicated by their protocols, guaranteeing that emergency services were punctually informed, ”concludes the statement.