Hidden video confirms Pradas knew to monitor Poyo at 12:32
A video hidden by the Valencian Generalitat reveals that former councilor Salomé Pradas was aware of the hydrological risk in the Poyo ravine and Magro river at 12:32 on October 29, 2024, the day of the flood that killed 229 people. The footage, provided after a judicial request, shows Pradas noting the need to monitor these waterways. This contradicts claims by Carlos Mazón's government of lacking prior information.
The DANA flood on October 29, 2024, devastated Valencia province, killing 229 people and destroying areas in towns like Catarroja and Paiporta. A video recorded by a production company hired by the Generalitat, hidden for 11 months, confirms that Salomé Pradas, former Justice and Interior councilor implicated in the case, knew of the need to monitor the Poyo ravine and Magro river due to hydrological alerts at 12:32. Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra of Catarroja's Court of Instruction No. 3 demanded the material from Carlos Mazón's (PP) executive, which finally provided it.
The footage, captured at the L’Eliana Emergency Coordination Center, shows Pradas with Emilio Argüeso (her deputy, also implicated) and Jorge Suárez (emergency subdirector) reviewing the situation. Pradas notes on a document titled “Informe número dos. Episodio Meteo dana- Hora: 12:15” arrows pointing to “Río Magro” and “Rambla del Pollo (sic)”, plus “bomberos”. She says: “Si hay que activar, se activa”. Screens display the storm's evolution.
The Poyo overflow created a wave that swept through localities. Firefighters stopped monitoring at 15:00; their chief, José Miguel Basset, justified it as due to “ganas de comer”. Another video shows Suárez proposing a mass mobile alert at 17:00, at the Cecopi's start (17:10), but it was sent at 20:11, after casualties mounted.
The recording is edited, and the popular prosecution by Acció Cultural del País Valencià will request the full version. Their lawyer, Manuel Mata, states: “Lo han manipulado”. Sources close to Pradas downplay it: the priority was communicating information to municipalities per the plan. This debunks the “information blackout” theory blamed on Aemet and CHJ by the government and implicants.