Timeline to a disaster: How mobile phone alerts arrived to Valencia locals ‘when they were already trapped in their cars or up to their neck in water’

AS the search for victims of the deadly Valencia floods continues and the clean-up operation starts, questions are being asked about why the forecast heavy rains were so deadly.

The catastrophic flooding was preceded by multiple warnings from meteorological agencies, but government action apparently failed to align with the urgency of the situation.

In fact the much vaunted emergency warning system used by Civil Protection to send an alert to people’s phones was not used until 8.12pm, many hours after the state meteorological agency AEMET had raised its alert level to ‘maximum red’, warning of extreme danger at 9.48am.

The alert came too late for many people who were already trapped in their cars and homes.

READ MORE: Horror in Valencia: Seven bodies are found floating in a garage after locals became trapped while trying to flee deadly floods in their cars

Watch: Terrifying footage emerging from Spain’s Castellon as buildings collapse and rivers overflow after locals are told ‘stay home!’ amid flood alerts

One man told news site Eldiario.es that the alert came as he was already trapped in his car with floodwaters up to his chest.

“Just after 8pm, after an hour with water up to my neck and swallowing mud, the alert went off,” he said.

Julian Ormeno, a 66-year-old pensioner, told Agence France-Presse: “They raised the alarm when the water was already here, there was no need to tell me the flood is coming.”

The resulting disaster has so far claimed 158 lives, sparking outrage and demands for accountability from both the regional government and emergency response system.

“People shouldn’t be dying from these kinds of forecasted weather events in countries where they have the resources to do better,”  Liz Stephens, a professor in climate risks and resilience at the University of Reading in the UK, told the Guardian.

“We have a long way to go to prepare for this kind of event, and worse, in future.”

Here we examine the timeline of emergency warnings…

Friday, October 25, 2024

• Warnings Issued: Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, begins issuing alerts about an impending historic rainstorm due to a low-pressure system and easterly winds. They predict heavy rains may strike Valencia, particularly on Tuesday, October 29.

Saturday, October 26 – Sunday, October 27

• Warnings Intensify: AEMET issues increasingly urgent warnings, pinpointing Valencia as a likely impact zone. By the weekend, forecasts predict up to three months’ worth of rain could fall in a single day.

Monday, October 28

• Orange Alert Declared: AEMET escalates the warning to ‘orange’ for several regions, including Valencia. By lunchtime, the Valencian interior ministry issues a press release warning municipalities to prepare for severe flooding.
• Emergency Suspension: The University of Valencia declares an emergency and suspends classes at 8.45 pm.

Tuesday, October 29

• Morning Upgrades to Red Alert: AEMET raises its alert to ‘maximum red’ at 9.48am, warning of extreme danger as more than 90 millimetres of rain is expected within an hour. Locals are advised to stay indoors.
• Government meetings: At 9.30am, the national government regional representative meets with regional officials and emergency services to discuss the looming disaster.
• Ongoing activities: Despite the dire warnings, Carlos Mazón, the president of Valencia, continues with his schedule. He poses for photos while accepting a sustainable tourism certificate before noon, even as overflowing rivers begin to inundate local areas.
• Failure to alert: An emergency alert is not sent to residents via mobile phones until 8.12pm, hours after many are already trapped by rising waters.

Evening of October 29

• Rising waters and casualties: As floodwaters rise, reports begin to surface of homes being submerged. By midnight, it is confirmed that numerous lifeless bodies have been recovered.

Wednesday, October 30

• Death toll climbs: As floodwaters recede, the confirmed death toll rises to at least 158, with authorities warning that it could increase as recovery efforts continue.
• Public outcry: While politicians have generally chosen to NOT play the blame game while rescue operations continue, questions about the regional government’s apparently slow response to the crisis and the lack of timely alerts to the public are being made on social media.

Thursday, October 31

• Official mourning: Spain enters a period of official mourning as the tragic consequences of the floods become evident. Calls for accountability grow, with many civil society organizations and trade unions planning protests against the Valencian government’s crisis management.