The 112 of Generalitat Valenciana Efficiently Managed the Incidents Caused by the Dana

The Emergencies 112 service of the Generalitat Valenciana efficiently managed the incidents caused by the heavy flood on October 29, despite the lack of real-time information from the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ). During the day, 15,188 calls were received between midnight and 7 p.m., a figure similar to other episodes of torrential rains like the DANA in Orihuela in 2019.

Citizen alerts were crucial for activating emergency devices, as neither the CHJ nor state agencies provided updated data on the overflow of ravines and rivers. Starting at 4 p.m., there was a significant increase in calls from areas like Chiva, where more than 400 liters per square meter (400 l/m²) were recorded, far exceeding the 180 liters (180 l/m²) forecasted by Aemet.

The Emergency services referred the incidents to the competent intervention bodies, which mobilized the necessary resources to address each situation according to established protocols. The more than 36,000 rescues carried out in the following days demonstrate the effectiveness of the deployed operation.

The Generalitat Valenciana has emphasized that citizen collaboration was key to activating the services, especially in the absence of early warning systems that the CHJ must implement. The central government did not initiate the procedures for contracting this system until three weeks after the flood, despite acknowledging that these devices "save lives."

The Confederation has admitted that the flow of the Poyo ravine suddenly increased at 5:40 p.m., but did not communicate the overflow to Emergencies until 6:43 p.m., almost an hour later. This lack of information prevented CECOPI from taking preventive measures in time.

The Generalitat insists that it can only make decisions based on official data, and that the absence of alerts from the competent bodies hindered the emergency response, despite the rapid action of the regional services.