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SAIH Operator: Government Delegation Called Seven Times During DANA Storm, Emergencies None

A witness tells the judge that the Automatic Hydrological Information System received calls from the Government Delegation, but none from the Emergency Coordination Center.

Generic image of hydrological data on a computer screen.
IA

Generic image of hydrological data on a computer screen.

An operator from the Automatic Hydrological Information System (SAIH) of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation (CHJ) has testified before the judge investigating the management of the DANA storm on October 29, 2024, stating that the Government Delegation called seven times, while the Emergency Coordination Center (CCE) made no calls.

The witness made this statement during her testimony at the Catarroja court, where the DANA management is under investigation. Two individuals are under investigation in the case: former Minister of Justice and Interior, Salomé Pradas, and her former second-in-command, Emilio Argüeso.
The operator explained that she started work at 9 AM on October 29th and did not leave until 3 AM the next morning. She detailed that the pluviometry and flow sensors were functioning "perfectly" until the "large amount of water" swept them away.
Regarding Riba-roja, she indicated that there are no flow sensors, only level sensors. "We receive height data every five minutes. That data converts into flow. If it exceeds certain thresholds, we get a message. The system needs to receive three 30 ml alerts to activate," she stated.
On that day, she insisted, the Government Delegation called them "several times" – about seven or eight – to request information, but they received no calls from the CCE, the body that "has all the information centralized".
At one point, facing the rise of the Poyo ravine, they decided to send emails, although they were "confident" that "everyone was warned, that all the media, the town councils, were warned and monitoring the flow".
The witness acknowledged that they were not constantly monitoring the Poyo ravine because they were watching 25 pluviometers, but she saw the rise while doing a sweep. They sent the emails around 6:43 PM, although they could not confirm if they were read.
According to internal regulations in effect since 2015, SAIH does not make calls but sends emails. "Delegation did request a list of accumulated rainfall and, as far as I know, we did not receive any calls from the Firefighters' Consortium. The technician from Buseo did call, and Delegation also asked about Buseo," she explained. She concluded that they receive the hydrological alert "just like everyone else" and "all information is sent by email".

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