The Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi), which managed the province of Valencia, that afternoon even considered recommending the confinement of the populations most affected by the increase in flows in rivers and ravines and by the torrential rains. It is one of the options that were considered in that key meeting that began at 5 p.m., with representatives of the institutions involved, and sources familiar with the meeting have confirmed to EL PAÍS. The Cecopi was directed by the Minister of the Interior and political leader of Emergencies of the Generalitat, Salomé Pradas, of the PP.
That possibility of confining neighbors to their homes, as happened in the coronavirus pandemic, and workers to their companies, according to the sources cited by this newspaper, at 6:10 p.m., according to information from the Levante EMV. There was also talk of sending an alert for the population to go to the upper floors of buildings, to avoid the danger of flooding. At that time, there was already the option to launch the alarm Es-Alert to mobile phones, almost two hours before it was finally sent, around 8:11 p.m., with a message in which the population was only asked not to move. The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, arrived at the meeting after 7:30 p.m., according to several sources. The damage has claimed nearly 214 lives and has caused incalculable material damage.
In addition, Cecopi considered making a live connection with public television À Punt as another way of warning the population to protect themselves from floods, when towns such as Utiel, Chiva or Cheste had already been flooded and the water began to flow. overflowing the Poyo ravine as it passes through Picanya and Paiporta, for example. Nor was there any connection with the media and especially with the public channel until after 9 p.m., when Mazón appeared.
The meeting was very eventful, with loss of connection with towns like Montroi, for example, people entering and leaving and with two breaks that delayed decision-making. The first, and it lasted for a similar amount of time. There were participants who were connected via telematics. It was during the last break when the emergency team from Salomé Pradas’ team, physically present at the meeting, explained to her on site to President Carlos Mazón, who had just arrived, the seriousness of the situation and the options to alert the population. All of this delayed decision-making at a critical moment. The alarm came when there were already numerous missing people and its delay in launching it is the subject of unanimous criticism by the citizens and the affected mayors.
Mazón has been downplaying the importance of his physical presence at the Cecopi meeting for days, specifically, that of October 29, with which he was connected until his arrival, according to what he claims. This Monday, he commented to the media about that meeting, which he attended after a meal with a journalist that lasted until around 6 p.m.: “It is a validly constituted Cecopi, because of who the members are, they do not need political presence, because we would all be in a high-risk situation to make decisions.” And he reiterated that he is not a member of such an organization.
