Deputy Director General for Emergency Situations, Jorge Suarez, confirmed that on Dana Day he warned members of the Integrated Operations Coordination Center (Cecopi), a few minutes after the start of the meeting of the body that was managing the crisis, that they had the ability to send … message to all cell phones in the Utiel and Requena area, although he can’t remember if he used the term ES-Alert.
Cecopi started at 5 p.m. Previously, they had envisioned the resources they had in the Util area – where the UME team had difficulties reaching Valencian City – to rescue people trapped on rooftops. But the warning issued by the Jokar Hydrographic Consortium (CHJ) about the possibility of the Vorata Dam collapsing within two hours focused the focus and produced a strong impact around 5:30 p.m.
Suarez, a senior state official, will testify on Thursday as a witness before a Cattaruga judge who is investigating the criminal case related to the valley’s management that resulted in the deaths of 230 people. He’s been waiting for over a year to give his copy away. He is the highest ranking technician in the Emergency Coordination Center. It is essential testimony, because it knows all the decisions that were taken during the day of October 29 and at the Sekopi meeting, such as sending the late ES-Alert at 8:11 p.m., which is the focus of the investigation.
Legal sources told the ABC that he reported that he asked the investigating judge what they were proposing and they responded that they were responsible for civil protection. With a list of affected municipalities, some with the potential for floods up to seven metres, the need to alert residents using the system was once again on the table. At 5:45 p.m. he already had a draft ready, handwritten in his notebook, and minutes later he announced to an internal group that an electronic alert would be sent. The text asked to climb to higher areas.
Former chief inspector of the Valencia County Firefighters Union and head of emergency operations, José Miguel Basset, noted that he did not like it because he had to be careful about causing panic and the direct nature it conveyed. No one else supported him. Specifically, Suarez and Bassett are the two people to whom various political leaders assigned responsibility for making decisions on the day of the disaster.
The former advisor in charge of emergency situations and in charge of Sekopi Salome Pradas – who was investigated in the case – then decided – at 6:07 p.m. – Take a break to evaluate different options. The visual and audio signal was cut off for those who followed the meeting electronically, most of whom were representatives of state institutions.
He asked the emergency press officer to hand him the message that Philomena had sent in Madrid and began preparing to send the message with the technicians.
Pradas also accused the “number two” at the time, Emilio Argüeso, the president of the Valencia Provincial Council, Vicente Mombo, and the general director, Alberto Martin, and they agreed that before its launch, the mayors affected by the furata should be notified. A video conference was held with them at 6:45 pm, but no one was able to connect. At 7:07 PM there was already a prepared message on the podium and Cecopi resumed.
This text asked people to stay at home, which led to another debate about whether there was jurisdiction to restrict residents. Pradas – who wanted everyone to agree on the decisions being made – issued a call for the transfer of that legal advice. It is 7:30 pm and there is no longer talk only about Vorata, but also about the general situation in the province.
At approximately 7:45 p.m., Pradas accepted the letter and put it in writing on a card, which is not yet known. This is when they are placed in the text to avoid displacement and are further softened. Once in the system, and under the supervision of Pradas and Mompó, some things were also changed in the Valencian version.
In parallel, Suarez confirmed, as another official announced this week in court, that they both decided to keep the images from the security cameras at the Liliana Emergency Coordination Center and not delete them after the legal period of one month because they understood that there was a social interest. In fact, they were commissioned to prepare a report on the arrival of the charges at the building – hence it is known that former president Carlos Mazzone arrived at 8:28 p.m. – Who did not participate in the judicial procedures.