The Adam storm has caused three deaths in Safor and Marina Alta. In 75 hours, the Valencian Generalitat has sent five ES-Alerts and held ten coordination meetings or Cecopis.
Three people have died due to the Adam storm, a weather event that has struck the Safor region of Valencia and the Marina Alta area of Alicante, as reported by El Mundo. The tragedy of 2024, which left 233 dead in the province of Valencia, is once again present with similar images: streets turned into rivers and residents waiting for rescue on rooftops.
The change from then is notable. On October 29, 2024, according to judicial investigation, the then president Carlos Mazón maintained his agenda as normal while the Military Emergency Unit was already mobilising in Utiel. Now, the first coordination meeting was called by the Emergency Department on Saturday at 4:30 PM.
In the assessment of the last 75 hours, the Generalitat has held six coordination or follow-up meetings and four Cecopis. Additionally, it has sent five ES-Alerts, published a confinement order in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat, and issued a special warning for river and ravine overflow.
The judge investigating the 2024 tragedy, Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, in the court of Catarroja, believes that a significant part of the deaths can be explained by the delayed and poorly drafted ES-Alert, sent at 8:11 PM. The mayor of Catarroja, Lorena Silvent, testified that she received no calls or warnings that day and that the alert reached mobile phones when the population was already flooded.
"It was already flooded"
This time, the messages have been sent preventively and tailored to each area. All included specific instructions: avoid travel, do not go down to basements and garages, stay away from rivers, ravines, and promenades, or move to upper floors if the water rises. The first two were sent out on Saturday morning to warn of the red and orange alerts for Sunday.
The last ES-Alert from Civil Protection was issued early on Monday, with a message about "persistent and intense rains".
"Persistent and intense rains"
In 2024, Cecopi authorities discussed the content of the message for three hours. The deputy director of Emergencies, Jorge Suárez, testified before the judge that the then councillor Salomé Pradas, now under investigation, had legal doubts about requesting confinement, and ultimately did not ask the population to remain in their homes.
This time, confinement has been declared to facilitate the rescue of hundreds of trapped individuals. The order from the Official Gazette of the Generalitat initially affected 145 municipalities in Valencia and Alicante. For residents of those areas, the practical recommendation is clear: do not leave home unless necessary, do not go down to garages, and follow the ES-Alert warnings.
The Government Delegate, Pilar Bernabé, and the president of the Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, praised the institutional collaboration.
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