The Aemet had been warning for days of the arrival of a DANA that would cross a large part of the Peninsula, with special incidence in the center. So much so that on Saturday night it raised the risk to red, the maximum, in part of the Community of Madrid and in La Mancha, Toledo. This was reflected in the satellite images, which at mid-morning yesterday showed a worsening of the situation and extended the affected territory to the Toledo area and the entire Madrid region (some 120 liters per square meter, something never seen since 1972 in the words of the first mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez Almeida). And that alert arrived after two in the afternoon to most of the mobiles that were in the Madrid community. Fear (fear, fright, uncertainty) settled in the public. A similar message had never been received before.
The reactions followed one another and they were of all kinds, but the majority welcomed this message with gratitude, warning of what was to come. Especially when the mayors of Madrid, including that of the capital, announced the closure of all tunnels, parks, public centers and any outdoor activity. And to finish off, the soccer match between Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla was suspended. Madrid was preparing for the World Cup.
The storms came, very intense at times, but not as much as expected. Not much less.
And the criticism came through social networks. Some asking Aemet for explanations, others demanding that heads roll over this "unjustified" alarm and many others, accusing the Government of Pedro Sánchez of "interference in the privacy of citizens".
The criticisms were immediately answered, not only by citizens who appreciated the information, but also by emergency professionals, meteorologists and even by consumer associations that received requests to report the message to mobile phones to Data Protection.
Specifically, Facua, who made it clear that the Civil Protection alert from the 112 Emergency Security Agency, sent by the Community of Madrid, "does not violate data protection regulations", "is sent by radio to all mobile phones within reach of the antennas that emit them” and its purpose is none other than “trying to avoid accidents and deaths”.
A spokesman for the Madrid Fire Department insisted on what was said by Facua, that the objective of these messages is to prevent. “We don't do it for fun, not at all. We do it because the reports that reach us show a serious situation and there is a serious risk. If the forecasts are not met later, then better ”, he explains to this newspaper.
José Luis Camacho, spokesman for Aemet, who announced at 7:00 p.m. a reduction in the alert level (orange) in part of the region, justified the red alert decreed in the morning in the Community of Madrid. "The models indicated that the DANA was going to stay longer in the Madrid area, but it moved distributing the rains to more territories, avoiding the rain peaks that were expected."
And it is that, say the meteorologists, the models pointed to an anomalous and exceptional situation. But DANA is changeable, it moves, as well as hurricanes or any meteorological event. "What should we do in these situations? Not report?" Asked the aforementioned spokesperson for the Madrid firefighters, who recalled that this alert system works in many countries without criticism from citizens when these events do not have the dimension expected.
Although the rain peaks have not reached expectations, the reality is that in Madrid it rained and it rained heavily (50 liters per square meter in the Retiro, for example, or 70 in the west), causing serious traffic problems (numerous pools of water) on the Madrid-Toledo or Madrid-Andalusia highway.
Firefighters from the Community of Madrid reported that they had carried out 190 exits, although none of special relevance. The main interventions were carried out in Navalcarnero, Sevilla la Nueva, El Álamo and the Henares area, according to regional government sources. In addition, Madrid 112 has managed 322 files related to rain.
