The ravine that devastated Valencia was no longer monitored because the flow decreased and it was lunchtime.
The former chief inspector of the Valencia Fire Department reveals his experience on DANA Day in a committee.
BarcelonaThe commission of inquiry into the management of the DANA (National Development Plan) in the Valencian Community, currently being conducted by the Valencia Provincial Council, has revealed revealing details. Not only about responsibilities, but also about why there were so many deficiencies in the control of the flow of the Poio ravine on the day of the tragedy, October 29, 2024. What was then chief inspector of the Provincial Consortium of Firefighters of Valencia, José Miguel Basset, indicated this Tuesday that the former Minister of Justice and Interior zero", and not the Valencian president, Carlos Mazón. However, he also explained the reason for the neglect in the control of the flow with the withdrawal of the firefighters at 2:30 p.m.: they detected a decrease and they wanted to "eat", since it was lunchtime.
According to his account, around 12 noon, by order of the same fire department, two units were sent to carry out an inspection in the area of the Magro River and in the Poio ravine. Then, they confirmed the overflow of the Magro River, but not the Poio ravine: "In the Poio, according to what They told me my technicians at the time [...] [that] they observed the flow, it was not worrying at all. They moved to another point in the town to take a measurement and after a while [it had dropped]. From this conclusion comes the lack of control: "If you inform me, you were the street unit, that the level has dropped, [that] I don't know what I'm doing here, [that] it's half past two, [that] I feel like eating; I'm going to say it that clearly, even if it's recorded, I don't care, what do I do? In any case, he demands that the recordings from 112 be requested because "everything is here" and "memory is short."
Blame Pradas
The accusation against former councilor Pradas, accused, clear from Basset: "She must give authorization so that everything stated in the plan is carried out from the pre-emergency to the state of emergency." He also made it clear that Pradas did not provide any information to the Cecopio that would impede decision-making. "We all know that the president of the Generalitat is not responsible for this plan," he emphasized, clarifying that "the minister has been responsible from the very beginning." Basset stated that before the meeting of the operations center, he had "no idea what they've been doing." He also exonerated the president of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, from sending the alert to the phones at 8:11 p.m., when there were already dozens of deaths: in the opinion of the former fire chief, whether or not Mazón was present "is not binding because it was not his responsibility to send this alert."
He stated that the responsibility lies with the "plan management" and further emphasized the fact that the emergency management fell to Pradas: "This is established, there is nothing else," he said, adding that Mazón's absence does not imply any connection with the a. He also explained that the ES-Alert alarm was caused by the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation's warning about the risk of collapse of the Forata dam, although he acknowledged that rescues had been carried out since early in the morning.
