Catala Defends Mazon in Congress Over Valencia Flood Case. The Spanish Congress is discussing the roles of Carlos Mazon and Maria José Catala in managing the aftermath of the flood. Catala stated that Mazon was the only one who took responsibility. Authorities are criticized for outdated plans and delayed warnings.
A heated debate has erupted in the Spanish Congress over the actions of former president of the Valencian Community Carlos Mazón and the current Valencia city hall following the devastating 2024 flood. María José Catalá, testifying as a witness, stated that it was Mazón who was the first to acknowledge political responsibility for the tragedy, unlike other officials. She stressed that decisions were made amid a lack of information, and in her view, the criticism leveled at Mazón fails to take this into account.
Àgueda Micó, an MP from Més-Compromís, reminded the chamber of Catalá’s close ties to Mazón by presenting a photograph of them together. She accused the former president of making false statements and delaying the authorities’ response on the day of the disaster. Catalá replied that she supports Mazón because he did not shy away from responsibility, and that his continued presence in parliament is a personal decision.
The hearings discussed details of the events of October 29, 2024. According to the official version, Mazón was at his workplace coordinating actions, but it was revealed that he arrived at the crisis center only after 20:28, when the Es-Alert mass warning had already been sent out and the number of victims had exceeded 150 people. Catalá insisted that city services received their first signal of the emergency only at 20:04, and until then, there was no reason for an urgent alert to residents.
The mayor of Valencia also explained why the city’s loudspeaker alert system was not used: according to her, there was no information about an imminent threat, and no one had warned the municipality about specific risks to affected neighborhoods. She noted that she immediately contacted regional services and activated the local emergency headquarters when the danger level was raised to 'orange.'
Catalá paid special attention to outdated flood protection documentation. She stated that the plan in force at the time did not account for threats to the three most affected suburbs — Forn d’Alcedo, La Torre, and Castellar Oliveral. The documents mistakenly indicated that, in case of river overflow, water would go into the rice fields rather than residential areas. Catalá called such mapping 'hopelessly outdated' and urged its revision.
The actions of Mazón and other regional leaders remain under parliamentary scrutiny. As previously reported, deputies have already demanded a repeat questioning of Mazón and Salomé Pradas due to inconsistencies in the official versions and new data from government correspondence.
For reference: The 2024 flood became one of the most tragic in Valencia’s history, claiming 230 lives. The Es-Alert system was used for the first time on a large scale to inform the public about the emergency. Following the disaster, authorities began revising response plans and updating risk maps, but questions about the timeliness and effectiveness of measures remain unresolved.
