The operational situation 1 of the INUNCAM Plan will continue to be active, and the Community highlights that there have been «no serious incidents.»
The Madrid Community’s 112 Emergency Service has processed 907 cases, and regional firefighters have carried out nearly 500 interventions over the 18 days of rain, constituting the most significant precipitation event «in the last 135 years» in the region.
This was highlighted on Sunday by the Minister of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior, Carlos Novillo, from the Canal de Isabel II Control Center in Majadahonda, after chairing the telematic meeting of the Advisory Committee of the Special Plan for Flood Risk (INUNCAM), as reported by the regional government in a statement.
Novillo provided an overview of the actions carried out by the emergency services of the Madrid Community, under the coordination of the Madrid Security and Emergencies Agency 112 (ASEM112), and by the public company Canal de Isabel II, since the beginning of March due to the heavy and continuous rainfall.
INUCAM MAINTAINED
It has been reported that the operational situation 1 of the INUNCAM Plan, activated on March 5 at its pre-emergency level, will continue to be active. Since that day, the Emergency Center 112 has managed 907 cases related to rain, snow, or wind.
Meanwhile, the regional Fire Department has carried out 488 interventions for floods, tree branches removal, or fallen trees.
The minister noted that «there has been constant monitoring of river flows and risk areas, and although there have been floods in some areas, there have been no serious incidents.»
DAILY MEETINGS WITH AFFECTED MUNICIPALITIES’ MAYORS
Over these 18 days, the INUNCAM Plan has remained at operational level 0 for six days and at level 1 for 12 days. This situation involves maintaining an Integrated Operational Coordination Center (CECOP), an Advanced Command Post (PMA), and convening the Advisory Committee, which meets daily to analyze, among other things, the river situation.
The president of the regional government, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, presided over this telematic meeting last Thursday with around fifty mayors. The CECOP has maintained «constant» communication with the affected municipalities.
Daily, after the Advisory Committee meeting, another meeting has been held with municipal representatives to inform them about the emergency status and learn about the incidents in their localities. These incidents were also reported 24 hours a day at the Municipal Coordination Center (CECOM), located in the 112 Emergency Center’s room, and communicated to the Advanced Command Post.
The ASEM112 deployment includes, in addition to the Fire Department, the Forest Rangers, the Immediate Logistic Response Team of Volunteer Civil Protection of the Madrid Community (ERIVE), as well as various Civil Protection volunteer groups and local police. Along with them, also the State Security Forces and Corps.
HIGHEST CONTRIBUTION IN CANAL RESERVOIRS’ HISTORY
These teams have been continuously monitoring river flows, communicating their status to the Advanced Command Post, identifying sensitive points, marking dangerous areas to prevent the passage of people or vehicles, and providing on-site information to citizens.
They have also collaborated with firefighters in various pumping operations. Regarding Canal de Isabel II, the Minister of Environment, Agriculture, and Interior emphasized «the great work carried out by the public company to maintain the safeguard levels set by the dam operation regulations and to collect and regulate rainfall with guarantees.»
In this regard, he noted that the 13 reservoirs of the public company recorded their highest contribution in history on March 8. That day, with an average of 693.5 cubic meters per second, they exceeded the 667 recorded in January 1996.
In total, the reservoirs received a total of 59.9 cubic hectometers of water that day, equivalent to two months of consumption for the entire region.
Novillo also detailed that currently, these 13 dams are releasing water to ensure the hydrological safety of these facilities and regulate the incoming flow. They are Pedrezuela, Navalmedio, La Jarosa, El Vado, Pinilla, Riosequillo, Puentes Viejas, El Villar, El Atazar, Navacerrada, Manzanares El Real, La Aceña, and Valmayor.
These actions are reported by the public company to both the Tajo Hydrographic Confederation, the regulating body of the basin, and ASEM112.
ANTICIPATION IN RESERVOIR RELEASES
Updated information on reservoir releases is continuously available on the public company’s website. Decisions on these releases and other maneuvers are made by analyzing flow data, river gauges, weather forecasts, and statistical series, as well as dam operation models and safety and monitoring instruments studies.
«Thanks to this, Canal can anticipate decisions on dam maneuvers to cushion the effects of floods, retain the maximum volume possible, and prevent downstream impacts of the dams,» the minister emphasized.
At the beginning of March, the Madrid Community’s reservoirs held 684 cubic hectometers of water, reaching 72.6% of their capacity, whereas today they are at 90% with around 850 cubic hectometers stored.
In the first 22 days of March, the contributions received by these reservoirs amounted to 458.55 cubic hectometers of water, while the average for the entire month of March is 119 cubic hectometers.
This data represents more than half of all the water received in Canal de Isabel II reservoirs since the start of the hydrological year in October (654.47 hm3).