Alberto Núñez Feijóo will have to explain what he discussed with Carlos Mazón on the day of the DANA storm. The judge in Catarroja, who is investigating the case of the torrential rains, decided this Friday to summon him as a witness. The magistrate thus granted the request of the Association of Victims of the October 29th DANA storm, which believes that the Galician politician must explain what the former president of the Valencian Generalitat told him about the management of the catastrophe, given that Feijóo stated that the former head of the Valencian government had informed him of the measures that "have been reported in the DANA storm." Furthermore, the magistrate has asked the Popular Party leader to voluntarily submit, within five days, the list of calls, messages, emails, and WhatsApps that Mazón sent him that day. The PP president reacted to the summons by defending his role as leader of the opposition, stating that it was limited to demanding that the Spanish government declare a national emergency. Furthermore, at a campaign event in Badajoz, the PP leader again accused Spanish President Pedro Sánchez of having abandoned the citizens affected by the disaster.

Salomé Pradas and José Miguel Basset. As expected, these were the two main individuals singled out by the Deputy Director General of Emergencies for the Valencian government, Jorge Suárez, who on Thursday defended himself in statements before the investigating judge, claiming that on the day of the DANA storm he had already proposed the use of ES-Alert on two occasions before 6:00 p.m. Specifically, at 5:15 p.m. and 5:38 p.m. This information was obtained by ARA from sources present at his appearance. This data confirms the information provided by other witnesses present at the Cecopio and by the videos of the meeting These documents, which have been added to the case piecemeal and against the wishes of the Generalitat (Catalan government), have been incorporated into the case. In fact, according to the official's testimony to the judge, he had completed a draft message by 5:45 p.m. The draft, which was reportedly written in a notebook, asked residents to move to higher ground in their homes—advice that was omitted from the first ES-Alert sent but included in the second. This warning was intended to alert people of the potential collapse of the Forata reservoir, which regulates the Magro River, but not of the situation in the Poio ravine, whose overflowing was responsible for the vast majority of the deaths.

The new president of the Valencian Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, has shaken up the Valencian government, but has respected the foundations laid by Carlos Mazón, whose right-hand man he was in the Valencian Parliament (Les Corts) and the People's Party (PP). The result is a more profound reshuffle than it initially appears, but in which eight ministers remain and three new ones join. One of those who has kept their position is the first vice president, Susana Camarero, who gains the responsibilities for Housing and Employment, retains those for Youth and Equality, and relinquishes those for Social Services, as well as the role of spokesperson. Conversely, one of those affected by the reshuffle is Mazón's personal friend and former Minister of Education, Culture, Universities, and Employment, José Antonio Rovira, who leaves this key portfolio and will assume the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Public Administration, previously held by the independent and former Ciudadanos leader, Ruth Merino. The new Minister of Education, Culture, and Universities will be María del Carmen Ortí Ferre. She is a career civil servant in the Generalitat's Education Inspection Corps, holds a diploma in Educational Sciences from the University of Valencia, and a degree in Psychopedagogy from the Open University of Catalonia. She currently heads the Popular University of the Valencia City Council. Previously, she served as Deputy Director General of Educational Planning and Private and Subsidized Schools and as Director of the Teacher Training Center in Torrent.

Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, who is presiding over the DANA case, continues to add evidence to an investigation that has been crucial in forcing the resignation of former Valencian president Carlos Mazón. Specifically regarding the actions of the former head of the Valencian government, the judge added to the case on Tuesday the video of the PP leader's entry into the Emergency Coordination Center building in l'Eliana on October 29th. The recording shows the politician from Alicante arriving with his head of communications, Maite Gómez, advisor Josep Lanuza, and two bodyguards. The evidence added today is a key recording for the investigation, as demonstrated by the fact that in February the Valencian government released a screenshot of the video to explain that Mazón's arrival occurred at 8:28 p.m., that is, 17 minutes after the ES-Alert was sent. With this information, the Presidency's department was trying to distance Mazón from the central element of the magistrate's investigation, namely the late (8:11 p.m.) and erroneous alert issued to the public.

As he announced during the investiture session last Thursday, the new president of the Valencian Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, began his term by asking for "forgiveness" from the families of the victims of the DANA storm. "Neither on the 29th nor in the days that followed did the public administrations live up to what society deserved," he acknowledged before expressing his hope that his words would foster "reconciliation" within Valencian society. Aware of the extraordinary situation still being experienced by the Valencian Community after the torrential rains, the politician from Finestrat opted for an austere inauguration. It was also non-denominational, as he chose to pledge rather than swear an oath of office. The most moving moment occurred at the beginning when a minute of silence was observed in memory of former president José Luis Olivas, who passed away last Saturday.

Complete agreement. The People's Party (PP) and Vox have invested Juanfran Pérez Llorca as president of the Valencian Generalitat in a plenary session where the conservative party adopted almost all of the far-right party's positions. The agreement was already foreshadowed in the morning when the leader of the far-right party, Santiago Abascal, indicated in a statement to the media that he liked the PP candidate's speech. "I want to read the speech carefully," he said, trying to downplay the Vox politician's involvement minutes before the party's executive committee leaked its vote in favor, emphasizing that the PP had incorporated "100%" of its demands. The new head of the Valencian government's speech began without the uncomfortable gaze of Carlos Mazón, who was only present for the vote and wished his successor "luck and success." "I come without any firm agreement with any party," Pérez Llorca asserted at the start of a session in which he delivered a speech full of concessions to Vox, as his partners have acknowledged. As expected, the Finestrat politician's speech included a reference to the families of the victims of the DANA storm: "If I am elected, my first words as president will be to apologize on behalf of the Generalitat," Pérez Llorca declared, under the watchful eyes of the association leaders in the chamber, minutes after having demonstrated outside the Valencian Parliament (Les Corts) against the investiture of the People's Party candidate.

An austere yet elegant space. Spacious, but seemingly insufficient to prevent other diners from overhearing the conversations of the remaining guests. The owner of the El Ventorro restaurant in Valencia provided the investigating judge on Wednesday with a floor plan and two photographs of the private room where the acting head of the Valencian government, Carlos Mazón, and journalist Maribel Vilaplana dined on the day of the storm. He also submitted the receipt for the meal, which totaled 165 euros. According to the documentation provided by the restaurateur and accessed by ARA, the space where the president of the Valencian government and the journalist spent almost four hours measures 4.86 meters long and 2.83 meters wide at one point and 4.43 meters wide at another. It also has two windows, an entrance door, and what appear to be two bathrooms, according to the documents. As for the meal they enjoyed, the receipt indicates it consisted of "two set menus." The receipt does not include the time it was issued.

At 7:47 p.m. This is the time that journalist Maribel Vilaplana paid for parking after having lunch at the El Ventorro restaurant in Valencia with the then-acting head of the Valencian government, Carlos Mazón, on the day of the storm. That is, an hour after finishing lunch, around 6:30 p.m. The investigating magistrate was able to confirm this on Tuesday after receiving the bank card information with which the journalist paid for parking, showing that the amount was €15.10. Vilaplana's submission of documentation was necessary because Interparking, the company that manages the business, informed the court that license plate data is deleted after one year and that the entry and exit images to the underground parking garage cannot be accessed because they are deleted one month after being recorded. The only option was to cross-reference the bank card data with the amount paid. The company was able to provide the number of vehicles that left the parking lot between 6:35 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., paying by card. There were a total of 38. Given that Vilaplana arrived before 3:00 p.m. and left after 7:00 p.m., analyzing the exits narrowed the search to three scenarios. The first was that she left at 7:12 p.m. after paying slightly more than €19. The second was that she left at 7:18 p.m. after paying €17.55. And finally, the third was that she left at 7:47 p.m. at a cost of €15.10, thanks to the five-hour parking offer. This is almost an hour after she left the controversial lunch at El Ventorro, according to Vilaplana and the restaurant owner, and it calls into question what both the media personality and the PP leader have said so far. Another point that remains unclear is where the then-president of Valencia changed his clothes. The journalist testified before the judge that in the private room, Mazón asked her permission to remove his tie and jacket and put on a yellow sweater. This account contradicts the restaurant owner's statement, who asserted that the head of the Valencian government left the meal wearing a jacket.

Where he was between 7 p.m. – when he said goodbye to journalist Maribel Vilaplana – and 8 p.m. – when he left the Palau de la Generalitat for the Cecopio (the regional emergency response center) – whether he gave any instructions to former councilor Salomé Pradas in the various calls he had with her, and finally, with whom he exchanged messages. These are some of the main questions that the acting Valencian president, Carlos Mazón, will have the opportunity to finally clarify this Monday in his appearance before the Congress of Deputies' commission investigating the DANA (isolated high-level depression). The PP politician's testimony comes after his frustrating appearance a few days ago before the Valencian Parliament's equivalent commission, when Mazón dodged almost all the questions raised by the opposition and even read a short speech, a circumstance that led the Balearic deputy to call him a "scam." There is hope that the question-and-answer format, which the congressional committee, unlike the Valencian Parliament, does plan to use, will force the conservative leader to explain his actions. In fact, this will be the first time Mazón has faced questioning, beyond the interviews he has given to friendly media outlets.

From Carlos Mazón's right-hand man to his possible successor. The predictions have come true, and Juanfran Pérez Llorca, the number two in the Valencian PP and spokesperson in the Valencian Parliament, has been chosen by Alberto Núñez Feijóo to try to convince Vox that it's better to invest him as president than to go to the polls.

An internal power struggle has erupted within the People's Party (PP) over the selection of Carlos Mazón's successor, just hours before the acting Valencian president is due to appear before the parliamentary commission investigating the devastating floods. The conservatives' spokesperson in the Valencian Parliament, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, asserted on Monday that "no one" has proposed him for the position of head of the Valencian government and that the decision rests with the party's national leadership. These were his first public statements since the incident a week ago. Mazón will announce his resignationWith these words, the politician from Finestrat has dramatized the tension within the party. He also indicated that the ball is now in the court of the executive committee, which, at this moment, has not made any decision. "We want to set the pace," sources from the party leadership on Génova Street in Madrid told ARA, admitting that the name "has not been decided." A sign of the uncertainty within the PP is that its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, chose not to dedicate a single word to the Valencian crisis this Monday. At an event in Melilla, where he convened his leadership, he limited himself to praising the early elections in Extremadura and reiterated a litany of criticisms of the Spanish government. "There are no updates. When we know in the coming hours or days, we will announce it," sources from Génova repeated regarding the candidate Feijóo will have to choose. According to sources, Mazón's replacement will be chosen by the national leadership, "just like a candidate in any eventual regional elections." They add, however, that the selection will be made "in coordination" with the Valencian PP. "The candidate is one thing, and the negotiations are another," the same sources emphasize, while avoiding giving details of last Friday's meeting between Vox and Mazón's PP. Once the candidate is chosen, the Valencian PP will take the lead in the talks, with "oversight" from the national headquarters in Madrid, which maintains that it "will not write" the agreement. The talks to appoint the successor to the head of the Valencian government have been stalled for days due to the power struggle between the Valencian and national leadership. After the tumultuous funeral of the victims of the DANA storm and the Mazón's decision to foldThe leadership of the Valencian Popular Party (PP) promoted Juanfran Pérez Llorca as an interim replacement and the president of the Valencia Provincial Council, Vicent Mompó, for the 2027 election. This move was intended to prevent the national leadership from imposing the name of the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá. The regional PP's maneuver greatly angered the PP leadership in Madrid, which has since decided to control the entire renewal process. The fracture within the Valencian PP also explains the resistance from the national headquarters in Madrid (Génova) to calling elections, given that the election of a new leader would trigger a power struggle within the party. Former Valencian president Francisco Camps would also be a contender in this race. On Monday, in a television interview, he stated that, in his opinion, if citizens were called to the polls, the PP should first hold primary elections.

Following journalist Maribel Vilaplana, now the inner circle of the acting head of the Valencian government, Carlos Mazón, including his potential successor, the parliamentary spokesperson and secretary general of the Valencian PP, Juan Francisco Pérez Llorca, will also have to testify. The magistrate overseeing the DANA case, Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, is increasingly focusing her investigation on Mazón—without formally charging him, as he enjoys parliamentary immunity—and this Wednesday summoned members of his closest team of collaborators as witnesses. Also summoned is the owner of the El Ventorro restaurant, one of the few who interacted with Mazón and Vilaplana during the hours when the DANA storm was wreaking havoc. All of them will have to testify before the judge soon.

Taking their time at lunch, even talking about football, Valencian President Carlos Mazón received numerous calls and messages during the meal, quite understandably, about the severe flooding that had been affecting the Plana de Utiel-Requena region since 1 p.m., and which had already produced significant rainfall that morning. This is a summary of the "relaxed" atmosphere that, according to journalist Maribel Vilaplana, characterized her nearly four-hour working meeting with the head of the Valencian government on the day that 229 people died in the Valencian Community. This account was given to ARA by sources present at the journalist's testimony before the investigating magistrate in the DANA case, which took place this Monday in the Catarroja courthouse.

Journalist and political analyst Víctor Maceda (Valencia, 1976) has published The scars of Valencia: From the fury of the water to collective catharsis (Portico). A book that analyzes the shared elements and differences between the great Valencia flood of 1957 and the 2024 DANA storm, paying special attention to the reaction of the political class, civil society, and the press.

New witnesses suggest that the Valencian president did not arrive at the Palau de la Generalitat until almost 8 p.m. on the day of the raid; an instruction from Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra that brings the investigation ever closer to Carlos Mazón now that the judge has received the order from the Provincial Court of summon journalist Maribel Vilaplana as a witness and analyze the communications between the head of the Consell (Spanish Consell) and former minister Salomé Pradas, and some polls that explain that, far from improving, the unpopularity of the Alicante politician also remains among voters of the Popular Party (PP). As we approach the commemoration of the first anniversary of the catastrophe, the pressure on Mazón continues to increase. It is increasing, however, without weakening the pillars on which his continuity is based: the support, for now, of Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Vox.

If the 2009 economic crisis made it clear that the construction-based economic model had feet of clay, the 2024 disaster has brought a new reality check to Valencian society, which has realized that it needs to rethink its urban planning model, especially in the face of an increasingly volcanic Mediterranean climate. A year after the catastrophe, improvements are still minimal, but some good ideas are already underway. In the case of infrastructure, the focus will be on adapting it so that it no longer acts as a barrier to the natural flow of rivers and ravines. Regarding cities, housing construction and the design of municipalities will be modified.

The shadow of the old Canal 9 is very long and the employees of À Punt, many of whom worked at the former Valencian radio and television station, do not want the network to suffer the degradation of its predecessor. At least, not with their silence and complicity. Therefore, this Sunday they filled the networks with posts in which they denounce the lack of sharing the practices of the new corporation.

Juan Borja is 68 years old and lived with his wife and two children, aged 37 and 42, in the humble neighborhood of La Mancha in the Valencian city of Torrent. He had to leave his home on October 29, 2024, and has not been able to return since then because the building is located right at the point where the l'Horteta ravine and the Poio ravine meet—the flooding of which caused most of the deaths during the flood. It is one of the places where the scars of the catastrophe are even more visible. The dangerous location of the homes has prompted the city council to initiate demolition procedures for 45 houses, according to a count published this week by Amnesty International. The initiative, which is also taking place in other municipalities, has, however, encountered a very diverse reality, affecting homeowners who will have to be compensated if they are expropriated, while affecting other, more vulnerable people who, if they do not receive help from the government, will be unable to find shelter.

Thousands of citizens once again filled the streets of Valencia to demand the resignation of the head of the Consell, Carlos Mazón, on the first anniversary of the October 29th strike. Although smaller than the historic mobilization of a year ago, this Saturday's march has once again clogged the city center and has gathered more than 50,000 people, according to an estimate by the Spanish government delegation.

On the eve of the celebration of the anniversary of the Dana on October 29, two anonymous witnesses cited by Eldiario.es and The Country They provide updates on the actions of the Valencian president, Carlos Mazón, on the day of the disaster. Both publications agree that, at the end of the almost four-hour lunch with journalist Maribel Vilaplana, at around 6:45 p.m., the president of the City Council did not go to the Palau de la Generalitat to follow the evolution of the emergency, as stated in his latest version of events, but instead arrived an hour later, specifically at 7:45 p.m. If the data is true, it would show that the PP politician was even more indifferent to the floods that were already affecting numerous Valencian municipalities, with dozens of people drowning at that time.