The hangover from DANA, which put the Community of Madrid on red alert for almost seven hours on Sunday, has also been felt on social networks. However, there the storm only has political airs. And all cooked in boiling water, it was once confirmed that the storm was less violent than expected in the capital of Spain.
The debate yesterday in social networks and political pulpits was focused on assessing whether or not the Civil Protection in Madrid slowed down when it sent messages to the citizens of this community, via telephone, asking them not to leave their homes. And whether Aemet’s warning – which led to the exceptional measure in this community – was justified or not. A discussion that grew louder throughout the day, while two missing in Madrid and three dead in Toledo were confirmed.
This cybernetic box of thrones, with its epicenter at X (formerly Twitter) was opened by the Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno Bonilla, who did not even wait for DANA to end to question the alert issued to the Community of Madrid. “If a public body warns of ‘extreme danger’ it must be very sure”, because this has “social and economic consequences”, he wrote.
Aemet’s response did not take long: “We always work rigorously and with a high level of responsibility. Sunday was a very complicated day for many people and for public services, whose purpose is to safeguard lives and property. Prevention is essential for this objective”, they wrote from the State Meteorological Agency in response to the attacks.
The third to enter the scene, with surprising speed, was José Luis Martínez-Almeida. The same mayor, who in the early afternoon ordered his neighbors in Madrid to stay at home, who ordered the closure of bridges, tunnels and museums and canceled dozens of public events in this city.
Yesterday, Almeida shared Moreno’s criticisms to say that the meteorological agency must “fine-tune” its predictions much better, since otherwise if these cases are repeated the institutions will lose “credibility” in front of the citizens. And then he justified the measures taken as mayor, much criticized on the networks. “The City Council fulfilled its duty and responsibility” in view of the forecast made by the meteorological services, he repeated.
The one who did not join, in this case, in this battle was the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. When asked about the criticisms of Aemet from his comrade in the ranks, Ayuso refused a direct answer. Although she made it clear that for her “raising the alert” allowed the emergency teams to work to alleviate the effects of the storm.
To this flood of criticism and cross-accusations in the midst of the hangover of the last DANA, Més Madrid, the PSOE and the Minister of the Interior, Grande-Marlaska, were added late in the morning. They accused Almeida and Moreno of “disloyalty” for their criticism.
Eduardo Rubiño, councilor of Més Madrid, considered it unfair to “criticize the professionals and scientists of Aemet, who were only doing their duty”. For her part, Socialist spokeswoman Reyes Maroto described as “regrettable” the criticisms formulated by Almeida once the risk had passed. “The mayor’s statements imply a lack of institutional loyalty towards the State Administration, which is who Aemet depends on,” he said. Minister Marlaska was more forceful: “Frivolities in matters of civil protection and emergencies, zero, and even less when there are three dead and two missing”.
