The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, the Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez, and the insular director of Security and Emergencies, Iván Martín, offered a press conference this Monday (December 16) at the Island Operation Coordination Center (Cecopin) to analyze the situation of the maximum wind alert caused by the storm ‘Dorothea’ that affects the municipalities of the north and west and alert in the rest of the municipalities of the Island.
Dávila explained that “the maximum alert will be maintained until 6:00 p.m., which will be when the Government of the Canary Islands will carry out a review. “It is foreseeable that it will leave the island of Tenerife in a pre-alert situation due to wind, coastal phenomenon, risk of fire and entry of haze.”
The president of the Cabildo assured that “during the weekend we have been coordinating the emergency, which has left numerous incidents throughout the island. We have had sustained winds of 70-80 km/h and gusts exceeding 100 km/h, which in some cases reached 130 km/h. We have deployed an operation of more than 150 people and I appreciate the help of the local police, Canarian police and civil protection services of the municipalities.”
Dávila indicated that “we activated the Island Emergency Plan since Saturday and it was decided to close the recreational areas, camping areas and the prohibition of traveling on the trails and tracks, as well as the Teide National Park. Yesterday we suspended outdoor activities in several centers, including the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium, and we also asked the Government of the Canary Islands to extend the suspension of classes to all municipalities on the Island. Our priority is to guarantee the safety of people ”.
Likewise, Dávila indicated that the wind affected the electricity supply, leaving some 10,000 people without electricity, and also telecommunications in different municipalities that have been recovering throughout today. Thus, he pointed out that the municipalities with the highest incidents were Guía de Isora and Adeje, Los Realejos, La Orotava, Santa Úrsula and La Laguna, although in the rest there have also been falls of branches and fences.
Rosa Dávila also indicated that “we have made decisions for the protection of people. We asked the Government of the Canary Islands to suspend classes and I am grateful that the rector of the University of La Laguna agreed to suspend classes to avoid the displacement of the 22,000 students who are part of it.” Likewise, the island president pointed out that “teleworking has allowed many people to work remotely, which also favors conciliation due to the suspension of classes.” In that sense, he indicated that fortunately no damage has occurred in the population, except for a small accident involving a local police officer from Tacoronte and an operator from the Cabildo’s Road Maintenance Service.
Guaranteed water supply and repair of the Aguamansa Canal
The president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, explained that the Aguamansa canal, which supplies the northern municipalities and the metropolitan area, has suffered an accident. This affects the water supply to the municipalities, but there are enough reserves to last 24-48 hours without a problem and, in addition, part of the flow is being diverted to a pond.
For her part, Blanca Pérez pointed out that “the supply to the population is guaranteed and as soon as the wind intensities begin to decrease, the operators will make an assessment to see what interventions we have to make.”
“The Aguamansa canal transports about 1,800 pipes and supplies the population from La Orotava to the metropolitan area, including El Rosario, La Laguna and Santa Cruz. Yesterday there were some breaks in the galleries and today the channel is blocked and we know that around 700 water pipes are entering, which means approximately 1,000 fewer pipes are entering. We are looking at those points where water does not reach and looking for alternative solutions with pumping from the North canal. “We are already helping with the broken pipes in the Vergara canal and the summit.”
Coordination with municipalities
The insular director of Security and Emergencies, Iván Martín, thanked the 31 municipalities for their coordination “with which we have been managing the different incidents since yesterday and putting them in contact with companies such as Unelco and Telefónica. We must also highlight the actions of small attempts in La Victoria and La Orotava and the intervention of the Tenerife Firefighters Consortium and the Forestry Brigades of the Cabildo (Brifor) to suffocate them.” Likewise, Martín highlighted the intervention of the Civil Protection teams in support of the municipalities and municipal workers, who have been essential at work throughout the night.
