An emergency number and la junta (local council) website details were included. The tech and authoritative, but calm, tone of the alert were hugely appreciated.
As I parked on the street outside my hotel, a local man kindly checked to make sure that I knew of the emergency warnings. I gave the thumbs-up, and he then insisted I move my car a bit – away from already-overflowing drain covers. Why? Because they were being removed – by the emergency services, local residents or the brutal forces of nature. Who’d have thought it?
Spain is learning valuable lessons following the flood of biblical proportions in Valencia. And I believe that by using phone tech to warn everyone of additional flooding on the streets, further deaths and injuries were prevented.
Britain’s rain, ice, winds, snow and autumn/winter temperatures are far more brutal than Spain’s. Also, we’re dogged by some famously dodgy water companies and very iffy infrastructure. So when motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are in grave danger on Britain’s crumbling roads and pavements, who’ll be sending us our potentially life-saving Red Alerts via our mobile phones? For the time being at least, nobody.
Since writing this column on November 15 Britain and Brits have been subjected to Arctic-like temperatures as low as minus 11°C, the coldest early winter night recorded since 1998. Despite the extreme, accident-inducing, life-threatening temps and conditions the UK Government’s so called Emergency Alerts Service has remained idle.
