On Thursday, April 10th, Almansa will host an emergency flood drill, a large-scale operation organized by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha in collaboration with the Almansa City Council and the main security and emergency forces.
During a press conference held this morning, the Councilor for Citizen Security, Javier Gimeno, informed the public: «This Thursday, an important regional drill will take place. We want to alert the population to avoid alarm if they see unusual movement of firefighters, Civil Guard, Local Police, or Civil Protection during the morning.» Gimeno detailed that the ES-Alert system will sound an alert on all mobile phones in the area: «It will be a loud alarm, even if the phone is on silent. There is no need to worry, just press ‘accept’.»
The drill will take place in five key locations: the Dam, the Rambla de las Hoyuelas, the Jose Conde Institute, the General Hospital, and the Local Operational Coordination Center (CECOPAL).
Jose Garcia, Chief of the Almansa Local Police, explained that this exercise is part of the annual regional drill plan: «The Junta chooses a different location each year. This time it will be in Almansa due to its emergency coordination infrastructure and the presence of a dam.» Garcia pointed out that this drill will allow all emergency services to «practice in a scenario as realistic as possible to be prepared if a similar situation ever occurs.»
On the other hand, Iban Sanchez, Head of the Civil Protection Volunteer Group, provided details on the hypothesis that will be put into practice: «We will simulate a weather emergency with orange and red alerts. At 9 in the morning, the emergency phase of the Municipal Flood Plan will be activated. Subsequently, and given the fictitious severity of the scenario, control will be transferred to the Junta de Comunidades, which will activate the Regional Emergency Plan (PRICAM) in phase 1.»
Sanchez highlighted that this transfer of control is one of the key aspects of the drill, as it allows for rehearsing coordination between different administrations. The operation will involve 15 volunteers from Almansa, as well as Civil Protection personnel from Caudete and Montealegre, Local Police, Civil Guard with canine units and drones, SESCAM medical teams (including a helicopter), and specialized firefighting units for high-altitude and underwater rescue.
The ES-Alert system, which will be tested during the drill, will send a message to all mobile phones in the affected area. «It is not an SMS, but a notification that comes through mobile antennas. It will sound even if the phone is on silent,» warned Sanchez.
The selection of Almansa responds to several factors, as explained by the officials. «The local infrastructure, such as the advanced municipal command post and the presence of a reservoir that can justify the flood scenario, has been evaluated,» they pointed out.
Finally, the City Council and security forces issued a call for calm: «It is a drill, there is no need to be alarmed. It serves to prepare and better protect the population in case of a real emergency.»