Valencian government defends ES-Alert timing after storm triggers flood warnings

Government defense of alert protocol

President of the Generalitat Valenciana Juanfran Perez Llorca and Emergencies Conseller Juan Carlos Valderrama defended the technical execution of the ES-Alert mobile notification transmitted at 22:08 on Wednesday. Speaking on Thursday from the Metrovalencia command post, Perez Llorca maintained that all emergency protocols functioned correctly under an active orange weather alert. Regional leaders emphasized that post-2024 disaster protocols mandate preventive mobile alerts only when the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) declares a formal red alert. Perez Llorca stated that municipalities had received prior weather data to establish municipal emergency coordination centers (Cecopal) and prepare localized defenses. He also advocated for standardized ES-Alert protocols across Spain alongside increased training in emergency response.

All plans and all warnings functioned perfectly.

Hydrological surge and rainfall thresholds

Conseller Juan Carlos Valderrama detailed during a press briefing that the mobile alert was executive rather than preventive, triggered directly by rapid hydrological escalation. At 17:00 on Wednesday, emergency officials consulted AEMET regarding the likelihood of upgrading from orange to red status, but meteorologists considered that outcome very unlikely. AEMET forecast rainfall of 40 liters per square meter in one hour, yet local downpours exceeded expectations in multiple areas. In Torrent, 87.5 liters per square meter fell between 20:50 and 21:50, approaching the 90-liter red threshold, while the municipality of Real reached 92 liters per square meter. Hydrological alerts for ravine overflows activated at 21:21 for the Carraixet ravine and at 21:46 for the Poyo and Saleta basins, alongside warnings for the Alto Turia and Magro rivers.

Incident multiplication and system activation

The Integrated Operational Coordination Center (Cecopi) authorized the ES-Alert transmission as emergency reports across Valencia province escalated rapidly. Incident logs recorded 47 active events at 21:00, which expanded to 232 incidents by 22:00 as storm runoffs concentrated in l'Horta Nord, l'Horta Sud, Camp de Turia, and the Valencia metropolitan area. Valderrama defended withholding earlier mobile dispatches, arguing that unverified mass messaging risks reducing public vigilance during future emergencies.

If we overuse ES-Alert, people could end up banalising these messages.

Valderrama also addressed public questions regarding sporting disruptions, explaining that the postponement of the Levante UD match against Athletic Club at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium remained the exclusive responsibility of La Liga.

Political and victim reactions

Opposition parties and victim representatives contested the official explanation, arguing that the 22:08 mobile broadcast arrived long after floodwaters had inundated urban centers. Compromis spokesperson Joan Baldovi stated that streets in Valencia, Torrent, and Calicanto were already impassable, police and firefighter rescues were underway, and hospital and metro infrastructure was disrupted before the alert sounded. Baldovi noted that precipitation had largely subsided across parts of l'Horta by the time mobile phones received the notification. The Association of Victims and Affected by the DANA of Valencia and the PSPV-PSOE criticized the administration for repeating past emergency management delays, while Vox representatives noted potential failures in information dissemination and storm response.