Authorities urge to «take extreme precautions» near riverbeds and ravines due to increased water flow
VALENCIA, 6 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Emergency Coordination Center of the Generalitat has declared the end of the level 0 emergency for floods in the provinces of Valencia and Castellón on Thursday afternoon.
This declaration does not change the situation of the municipalities declared in levels 1 and 2 due to the storm on October 29, as explained by 112 in its latest update at 7:00 pm on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) maintains a yellow alert for rainfall until midnight in both provinces. On Friday, it will only be active in the interior and north coast of Castellón.
The regional secretary of Emergencies and Interior, Irene Rodríguez, highlighted that the end of the level 0 emergency and the lifting of recommendations for schools, outdoor activities, and extracurricular activities are due to the improved weather conditions, according to Aemet forecasts.
However, she emphasized that an informative note will be sent to all municipalities and intervention services regarding riverbeds and ravines. «They still have some water and have increased slightly, without risks or danger, but they are carrying more water than usual under normal conditions. Therefore, we believe it is necessary to continue maintaining this recommendation, this warning to the population and municipalities to continue monitoring and try to avoid activities in these areas,» she explained.
This statement was made after the analysis and monitoring meeting of the rain episode held at the Emergency Coordination Center with the organizations and authorities involved in emergency situations due to floods.
In the informative note, Emergencies emphasized the need to «continue taking extreme precautions» at the crossings of fords in riverbeds and ravines, which «may continue to flow for several days, either due to the rains this week or due to sudden increases in flow from dam releases.» It also added that there may be a risk of landslides in those areas due to persistent rains. Rodríguez reiterated that riverbeds and rivers will maintain the highest water level for «the next few days,» as «although the alerts for tomorrow will be mostly lifted, it will continue to rain tomorrow and especially on Saturday.» On Saturday, as communicated by Aemet, there may be storms accompanied by winds, which could be intense in some areas, but «very localized and of short duration,» so she urged the public to «stay tuned to the weather forecast.» When asked about the water releases from dams, Rodríguez stated that they have been ongoing throughout the day, so the reservoirs have released «more or less» the amount of water they received from the rain, resulting in a small increase that did not lead to any overflow issues. RISE IN THE SEGURA RIVER Furthermore, Rodríguez mentioned that they received an «important notice» in the south of the province of Alicante from the Segura River Basin Authority regarding a rise in the Segura River in the Orihuela and Jacarilla area.
RISK OF LANDSLIDES
