Former Valencian spokesperson testifies she realized DANA severity at 8 PM

Ruth Merino, the former spokesperson for the Valencian government, testified that she was not aware of the severity of the DANA floods until 20:00 hours on October 29, 2024. She stated that she learned about the Cecopi emergency meeting from television upon arriving home, and only discovered confirmed fatalities the following morning. Source: lavanguardia Source: infobae

Merino declared that she had no conversation with then-President Carlos Mazón in the days prior, and the first time the consellers discussed the DANA was around 9:00 that morning. Source: lavanguardia During her press conference, she only reported on the Carlet nursing home incident, not on other incidences, because she was provided data verbally and did not recall specifics. Source: infobae She stated that she never received information about the Es-Alert hydrological alert and was unaware of its existence until after the event. Source: lavanguardia

Additionally, Merino confirmed that Mazón did not give her any instructions to downplay the situation, and she interpreted his message 'vamos a inundar de datos' as a general request for information sharing. Source: infobae She also noted that no agreement was adopted in the Consell that day, although the red alert was discussed. Source: lavanguardia Merino has agreed to provide WhatsApp chat attachments as evidence. Source: infobae

The testimony highlights significant communication breakdowns within the Valencian government during the catastrophic floods, raising questions about the coordination of emergency responses.