OVER 15,000 people made calls to the 112 emergency number in Valencia on October 29 before Carlos Mazon’s regional government issued a flood warning to phones at 8.11pm.
A further 5,000 calls were made after the official warning up to midnight.
The figures- compiled by the Valencian Security and Emergencies Agency- have been sent to a judge investigating any potential criminality over the handling of the flood disaster.
DEVASTATION IN PAIPORTA
Most of the victims were elderly people with little mobility who lost their lives, were trapped or disappeared before receiving the alert, according to other papers received by Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra.
The 112 report was delivered to the court on Friday and includes a breakdown of calls received every hour during last October 29.
Up to 8pm, 76.6% of that day’s emergency calls were made.
The document says that though there were weather-related calls throughout the day, there was significant increase from 3pm.
Between 3pm and 4pm, 1,462 communications were received, while the busiest hour was between 5pm and 6pm with 2,438- a rate of more than 40 each minute.
In total, emergency services between 3pm and 8pm registered 8,238 calls from residents about dangerous situations.
The document reports messages from the people near the Poyo ravine, whose overflow caused the disaster.
Before 7pm, residents in that area ‘compulsively’ called 112 to warn about the ravine’s critical state.
“The ravine overflows. People trapped in cars,” one caller from Catarroja warned operators at 6.56pm- more than an hour before the government sent its alert message to mobile phones.
“The ravine is overflowing,” shouted a Picanya resident at 7.12pm.
Calls of desperation were received that day from residents from all 78 affected Valencia municipalities.
