The head of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), General Francisco Javier Marcos, appeared this Friday from the Ministry of Defense after the meeting of the Crisis Committee for DANA, in his second press conference since the floods occurred. in Valencia. Marcos has explained the extensive operation carried out by the UME in the ten days since the tragedy occurred, when they have already carried out 595 missions, and has valued the work of its soldiers and the reaction of the State, both on the part of the Government as well as the Generalitat, in the face of a catastrophe of these magnitudes. “We intervened as soon as possible,” Marcos assured about the work of the UME, “the relationship between the organizations of the Valencian Community and the Ministry of the Interior was perfect and they acted in a coordinated manner,” he added, in response to questions from the journalists in the room.
Marcos has pointed out that “no one could foresee the magnitude of what happened,” with the speed of the water and mud, and that “all the information that was provided was good.” “The UME was there from the beginning,” the general stressed, as he already noted in his first press conference; “As information was produced from the community, we anticipated it, it took us 12 minutes to arrive,” he said. “As soon as the Generalitat gave us the green light, we were in the emergency zone in minutes,” Marcos stated this Monday.
The head of the UME has also sent a message of tranquility and encouragement to the Valencian people: “I ask you to be calm, we will be with all Valencians without rest until the end.” “Our biggest challenge is to make sure people can do what they always do as soon as possible,” he assured, while acknowledging that “as long as there are missing people, we are in the first phase” of the operation.
Marcos has indicated that the Armed Forces are in the 72 municipalities declared seriously affected by the floods, as well as in the communication routes that link those towns. From there they have carried out, to date, 595 missions, “some last 5 hours and others have not been completed since the first day,” he explained. Although ten days have passed since the catastrophe occurred, “there is still no still photograph” of it, since the situation in the municipalities is changing and new needs can be detected every day. However, today it is considered that the towns with the most critical situation are Paiporta, Massanassa, Chiva and Catarroja.
Javier Marcos has also come out against some “criticism that has been expressed these days”, and has defended the work of the Valencian City Councils and the members of the UME. “What we are doing is crazy due to its magnitude, my soldiers do not rest,” he highlighted; “We have reacted from the first moment, but time was needed to locate the needs.” “We cannot work like crazy, we have to prioritize,” insisted the general, who clarified that “this is not a military operation, it is an emergency operation with military forces.”
The head of the UME has acknowledged that “it hurts him to hear certain statements,” but he believes that the majority of residents of the affected areas now “appreciate the work of the State and the Armed Forces.” “That narrative [de críticas] It is going to change, the truth always emerges,” the general predicted, while asking that “the experts be listened to,” because “they are the truly credible ones.” “In some towns it smells like bread, when three days ago I imagined the stench there was,” Marcos commented during his appearance to give an idea of the progress made in the areas hardest hit by DANA.
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