The Mayor of Catarroja, Lorena Silvent, stated this Monday before magistrate Nuria Ruiz Tobarra that the City Council had launched a permanent CECOP four days before October 29, 2024, the date of the DANA storm. During her testimony in the criminal case regarding the DANA's management, Silvent detailed the measures taken to anticipate the storm and organize the municipal response.
Silvent indicated that these actions were initiated by the City Council itself, using its own resources and without external support or sufficient information about the danger's magnitude. The device allowed for the coordination of the Local Police, the Municipal Brigade, cleaning services, and the public company ESERCA. Preventive measures and responses for potential floods were also prepared.
In the days preceding the DANA, the City Council monitored critical points in the town, inspected municipal buildings and educational centers, particularly CEIP Vil•la Romana. Preventive tasks such as cleaning drains and conditioning low-lying areas were also carried out. Furthermore, self-protection recommendations were disseminated via social media to reduce travel, prevent household risks, and protect vulnerable individuals.
On October 29, the municipal device remained operational from early morning, monitoring the meteorological situation and coordinating public services. Due to the increased meteorological alert, the suspension of educational activities at all levels was decided.
Silvent also explained that the City Council had prepared a population evacuation plan, which was activated on October 29 during the flood. All available resources were mobilized, including Local Police officers who monitored the ravine from the moment the hydrological alert was issued.
These actions took place before the Generalitat Valenciana sent the first mass alert to the population via the ES-Alert system at 8:11 PM. The response was organized with the City Council's own means, without extraordinary external support or sufficiently precise information about the catastrophe's evolution. Both preventive measures and emergency actions were duly documented in reports from the Local Police and the CECOP working groups.
