The Community of Madrid does not want to repeat a winter like the one left by the Filomena storm two years ago. For this reason, the region is already preparing for a special device in the event of a snowfall of similar proportions.
The Community of Madrid is better prepared to face this winter with more and better snowplows and with the help of machines from private companies after the agreement signed with the Madrid Business Confederation (CEIM).
This was indicated by the Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Interior in an interview with Europa Press, in which he explained that they are in communications with the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) to find out the forecast of meteorological episodes, although the forecasts are more Reliable are those that are carried out within 15 days.
“Sometimes, when we do the previous meeting of the inclement plan, we see the models a little, which can approximate what winter may be like. But from Aemet they have not given us a winter that is very different from the one we experienced last year,” has indicated.
Novillo explained that Filomena was “two phenomena in one” and was “very peculiar”, because “it had not happened in Madrid in 100 years”. “It was a precipitation in the entire territory of more than 20 centimeters and then a thermal inversion, an anticyclone, which with the albedo of the snow increasingly cooled the surface and we had 12 days with the snow practically on the ground, which was turned into ice. So a phenomenon like this, let’s hope it doesn’t happen, but if it does happen we are much better prepared,” he indicated.
As explained, after Filomena, those responsible for the Madrid 112 Security and Emergency Agency carried out an analysis to find out what had worked and what could be improved. “From there we have implemented very positive measures. We have put all the Forestry Brigades in charge of prevention in winter and extinction in summer, helping us with the Fire Department, the assignment we have with TRAGSA, with trucks that in winter become snow plows, which allows us to double the capacity that the Community of Madrid has,” he detailed.
A machinery, Novillo continued, “much more versatile, which can be introduced in the municipalities, which was where we found the problems.” “We have implemented snow plows and salt spreaders on the machinery of those brigades after Filomena,” he pointed out.
The counselor also recalled the agreement that the Executive signed with the CEIM, through which the ASEM112 will be able to have heavy machinery and other types of resources in the hands of companies in case of need. In addition, the employers’ association will collaborate in the dissemination of alerts and warnings issued by the Community in the event of atmospheric episodes that may endanger people and property.
Thus, he indicated, at a given moment in the event of an emergency they can be given a mission to clean vulnerable points that they identified in Filomena, such as hospitals, transportation centers, and nursing homes. “We realized that there is a large network that supplies these critical centers, such as the companies that supply medicinal oxygen to hospitals, the gas companies that feed the boilers of residences, that we also have to free access to these industrial estates; even food catering for hospitals and residences,” he pointed out.
The regional head of the Interior has stated that thanks to Filomena’s analysis they have done their homework to, in the event of a similar situation repeating itself, achieve mobility “long before” recovering the normality of those critical points, “which is the situation after the rescues.”
Precisely, a lesson learned from Filomena is the implementation of mobile messages to all Madrid residents in a red alert situation, as ASEM did in September prior to DANA. Novillo has been “satisfied” with his result.
“In 112 we have many social networks that are very active in prevention messages. We made videos and alerted citizens that this red phenomenon had never occurred and that they tried to be at home and there was no activity. The impact in the end did have because we reduced mobility because, compared to a normal Friday, we did not have that impact and we had almost 4,000 rescues on roads. Thanks to our emergency services from the City Council and the Community that coordinated, there were no victims,” ??he indicated.
The counselor recognizes that there was a lack of a tool for direct contact with citizens, through text messages sent to all cell phones in a specific area.
As explained, they began with the Ministry of the Interior developing this tool, with the General Directorate of Civil Protection, which is the so-called reverse 112. “Until now, 112 received alerts from citizens asking for help and launched resources, but we did not have a very powerful tool. We had developed an application, My112, for years, which you download and receive localized alerts. We had many downloads, but it does not reach the total population,” he detailed.
However, Carlos Novillo asks to be selective and not abuse this tool. “In the United States they use it a lot for when there is a child who gets lost. In that area they send it so that everyone can be on alert. We believe that we are not yet mature enough to advance in that. And besides, it is the story of the wolf “If I warn you too much, you no longer pay attention to me,” he considers.
The Minister of the Interior recalled that an Atlético de Madrid match was suspended due to that alert, which caused the Aldea del Fresno athletic club, which later suffered heavily from that DANA, not to travel over the bridges that fell that night.
“In the end, prevention is a bit frustrating because it is difficult for you to really measure the impact of your investment or the actions you take. At first people seemed to say that the forecast was very exaggerated; but then when we saw the images we thought that it would be better to have been at home,” he concluded.