The court in Catarroja continues to investigate the case of the devastating DANA that struck Valencia in late October 2024. This time, the head of the press service of the Generalitat Valenciana’s emergency rescue unit appeared before the judge. She gave a detailed account of how coordination was managed during the critical hours of the disaster that claimed 229 lives.
According to her, staff from the emergency operations center, who gathered at the crisis management hub in L’Eliana, understood from the outset that they were dealing with an extraordinary situation. Although there were no televisions in the room, everyone stayed informed thanks to their mobile phones. For this reason, she argued, it would be wrong to say they were in an information vacuum.
During the hearing, it emerged that as early as 5 p.m. on October 29, the deputy head of the rescue service suggested considering the possibility of sending a mass alert to residents’ mobile phones. However, the discussion dragged on, and only after 6 p.m. was the issue added to the agenda. At that point, some remote participants connected by video experienced technical problems. As a result, the decision to send the alert was made with a delay, and it was only distributed at 20:11 — by which time most of the victims had already died.
The witness also noted that the likelihood of dangerous weather conditions had been discussed a week before the tragedy. Although no official warnings were issued at that time, the forecasts caused concern among experts. She emphasized that the headquarters closely monitored the situation and prepared for a possible deterioration.
During the questioning, it was revealed that a key meeting, where the decision was made to issue a mass alert, was not recorded. This has become one of the main issues in the investigation, as timely notification could have saved dozens of lives.
Questions were also raised about the actions of the former head of the justice department and her deputy, who, according to some participants, did not act quickly enough. However, the witness stressed that everyone at headquarters understood the seriousness of the situation and tried to respond as effectively as possible amid the growing crisis.
The trial continues, and new details about the tragedy in Valencia keep emerging. Investigators are trying to determine whether the scale of the disaster could have been prevented and who is responsible for the delay in alerting the public.
