The project, set to run for the next three years starting in October, aims to validate innovative solutions to improve municipal response to increasingly frequent and aggressive climate events. The Valencian Community will directly manage 300,000 euros of the total budget, allocating 192,500 euros to training local entities and disseminating the model, and 119,250 euros to implementing a municipal pilot case.
The plan was presented today, attended by the FVMP Secretary General, Miguel Bailach; the Mayor of Orihuela, Pepe Vegara; the Regional Secretary for Institutional Policy and Territorial Cohesion, Carlos Gil; and the Councilor for Civil Protection and Emergencies, Víctor Valverde.
Vegara highlighted that Orihuela will become a European benchmark, alongside cities in Slovenia and Cyprus, in designing and testing solutions for future emergency management. The project is built on three pillars: digitalization with real-time information, improved coordination between administrations and emergency services, and citizen engagement.
Decision-support platforms, intelligent systems for recommending protocols, evacuation simulators, and applications for direct citizen communication will be developed.
Miguel Bailach, FVMP Secretary General, emphasized the importance of collaboration in facilitating Valencian municipalities' access to European programs and establishing international alliances. He explained that SHIELD exemplifies this work, and that the FVMP will lead training and capacity-building activities to extend the knowledge and tools developed to all Valencian municipalities.
Carlos Gil, Secretary for Institutional Policy and Territorial Cohesion, valued institutional collaboration for 'bringing Europe closer to municipalities' and noted that the European funding agreement with the FVMP aligns with this objective, aiming not only to secure funds but also to create opportunities for innovation and service improvement for citizens.
