Camp de Mar beach this morning after the storm.

Camp de Mar beach this morning after the storm. | Michels

Humphrey CarterPalma28/10/2024 14:42
TW
0

The president of Pi, the liberal Balearic autonomist party, Tolo Gili, today called for the emergency alert system to be set up to warn the population and protect them, because it is still not working. “This system has been announced for years, even the government carried out tests half a year ago, but on days like today, when there are areas of Mallorca where it has rained more than 100 litres per square meter, torrents overflowed, flooding and roads cut, there is no message,” said Gili.

The party recalled that in April tests were carried out on an alert system that sends an SMS in the event of a catastrophe or emergency such as a fire, an explosion or a flood, and questioned why it has not been put into operation with this Monday’s storm in which torrents overflowed and roads were cut off.

“At least the residents of the affected areas would know how to act,” said Gili, who insisted that “if this warning system exists, why isn’t it being used?” Gili recalled that it has been six years since the Sant Llorenç disaster and “they still haven’t been able to put this system in place. It’s about time,” Gili stressed. “Safety is the most important thing, and the government can’t spend six years carrying out tests, it has to set up this system now,” he concluded.

The storm wreaked havoc in several municipalities of Mallorca and one of the most striking images that have been seen due to the heavy rains is that of the beach of Camp de Mar, very close to Puerto Andratx. The torrent that flows into in to the sea overflowed and split the beach in two.