Salome Pradas, former head of emergency management in the Valencian government, has spoken publicly for the first time about the events of October 29, 2024, when the region was at the epicenter of a devastating DANA. That day, 229 people lost their lives, and the authorities’ actions sparked a wave of criticism and investigations. Pradas was visibly emotional, accusing then-president Carlos Mazón of being absent from the scene and of misrepresenting his role in managing the crisis.
In a ninety-minute interview, Pradas admitted that she only found the courage to come forward after Mazón’s resignation. She stressed that she does not consider herself responsible for the delay in sending the ES-Alert emergency notification, which reached residents’ mobile phones at 20:11—by which time most victims had already perished. According to her, she repeatedly tried to contact the president, but he was unreachable during the most critical moments.
Criticism of Mazón
Pradas claims that Mazón was not only absent from the Cecopi coordination center, but also denied being informed about plans to send out the mass alert. She recalls that in the midst of the disaster, when information arrived about the possible breach of the Forata dam, it was impossible to reach the president. She says that at that crucial moment, it was essential for the regional leader to be with the decision-making team.
During the interview, Pradas repeatedly returned to the issue of Mazón’s absence and his refusal to answer her calls. She noted that, in her situation, she would have canceled all other matters and remained at the emergency operations center. Emotions ran high: the former official could not hold back tears as she spoke about the victims and the need to tell the truth about what happened that day.
Investigation and internal disagreements
Pradas and her deputy, Emilio Arguso, remain under investigation on charges of negligent homicide and bodily harm. She emphasizes that the key decisions were not made by her but by the emergency services’ operations manager, José Manuel Basset. According to Pradas, it was he who insisted on withdrawing firefighters from the danger zone and questioned whether sending the ES-Alert was necessary.
The former adviser also blames state agencies—the Aemet meteorological service and Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar—for not providing enough information about the reservoirs’ conditions. However, the judge leading the investigation has repeatedly dismissed this argument, holding that there was sufficient data to make informed decisions.
Details of the alert and internal conflicts
Pradas described in detail how the decision was made to send the ES-Alert. According to her, the discussions between technical specialists and the emergency services’ leadership lasted about 20-25 minutes, followed by another half hour for the technical implementation. As a result, the alert was sent too late, when most people were already unable to evacuate.
She claims that the initial alert was prepared only for residents near the Forrat dam, not for the areas affected by the overflow of the Poyo ravine (barranco del Poyo). Only after receiving new data was the warning radius expanded to cover the entire province of Valencia. At the same time, according to Pradas, the final decision was made exclusively by technical specialists.
Accusations against Mazón’s entourage
In the interview, Pradas also mentioned Mazón’s chief of staff, José Manuel Cuenca, who, according to her, asked not to disturb the president and to relay all information only to him. She notes that after that, she began sending messages via WhatsApp, but the content of those messages has yet to be disclosed. Pradas submitted a notarized list of her own phone calls, unlike Mazón, who provided only unofficial data.
The former official expressed surprise that the president did not seem particularly concerned when she did manage to get in touch with him. She also criticized the response of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, calling his remarks about needing to request additional resources “inhumane” and unworthy of the country’s leader.
Aftermath of the tragedy
As a result of the delayed alert, many Valencia residents did not receive timely warnings. According to the investigation, most of the victims did not hear the alarm because they were already in mortal danger. Pradas insists she did everything possible to save people, emphasizing that political disagreements should not overshadow the memory of the victims.
