Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Technicians Detail Delayed Warnings and Missing Orders in Valencia Flood Probe

Testimonies revealed that flood warnings came too late, leaving response teams hampered by unlogged withdrawal orders.

Centro de Coordinación de Emergencias de l'Eliana en una imagen de archivo.
Image
Imagen de archivo de voluntarios limpiando en Paiporta tras la dana

Overview

  • At 12:48 on October 29, Emergencies chief Inmaculada Piles instructed a technician to alert the Provincial Firefighters Consortium to monitor Torrent, Paiporta and Picanya.
  • Forest firefighters were dispatched to ravines including the Poyo but the CoordCom system contains no record of who ordered or timed their withdrawal.
  • A 18:43 email from the Hydrographic Confederation warning of rising waters in the Poyo ravine arrived when officials said it was too late to react.
  • Technician Eduardo Ventura said a sudden overnight shift to a red-level forecast forced emergency planners to revise documents and scramble resources by midday under chaotic conditions.
  • Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra’s inquiry has charged former minister Salomé Pradas and her deputy Emilio Argüeso with alleged failures in crisis management.