The mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Pérez, highlights that inter-administrative collaboration has allowed them to successfully address the incidents caused by the storm.
Marco Aurelio Pérez calls for caution and cooperation from residents to avoid unnecessary travel and denounces the uncivil behavior of many cyclists.
Storm Therese “has significantly affected the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana” since the Municipal Emergency Plan (PEMU) was activated last Thursday at 8 a.m., as reported this Saturday by the mayor himself, Marco Aurelio Pérez Sánchez, who appeared before the media to report on the actions carried out by this city council due to Storm Therese.
Marco Aurelio Pérez stressed the need for citizens to cooperate with security and emergency services by taking precautionary measures and urged them to avoid risks that could endanger their own lives and the lives of emergency personnel. He emphasized the importance of avoiding unnecessary travel and strictly adhering to road closures.
He reported that the temporary shelter set up in the El Tablero Sports Pavilion, managed by the Red Cross and coordinated by the town councils of San Bartolomé, Mogán, and San Mateo, is currently providing regional assistance to 24 people, 3 dogs, and a cat. The facility is offering a safe environment to those who have the greatest difficulty protecting themselves in this situation.
The mayor praised the importance of the operational coordination and inter-administrative collaboration that the municipalities of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán, together with the Gran Canaria Island Council, have been developing from the outset, "to be much more effective in providing emergency services wherever they are needed."
Regarding this collaboration, he highlighted the work being carried out by the security and emergency services and the municipal services of Mogán and San Bartolomé de Tirajana in the Arguineguín Ravine, where attention is focused on the residents of the towns and neighborhoods along the GC-505 road, affected since early Friday morning by the road closure due to the almost continuous overflowing of the ravine from Las Filipinas to Las Crucitas. “This is preventing residents from returning to or leaving their homes.”
In this regard, Marco Aurelio Pérez reported that Red Cross, Civil Protection and Fire Department personnel are organizing an aid convoy for this afternoon/evening to help residents who have been unable to return to their homes.
He also reported that Civil Protection and Civil Guard officers had been taking notes and delivering the medication required by residents throughout Saturday, with insulin being the most requested medication.
Main incidents
Regarding the main incidents caused by the storm, Marco Aurelio Pérez highlighted that they began in the early hours of Thursday to Friday, primarily affecting the mid-altitude areas, with numerous landslides on roads such as those of Sequero, Risco Blanco, and Taidía, and the GC-500 highway that runs from Las Crucitas to Soria. “These impacts have increased since Friday night in the areas of Cercados de Araña, Ayacata, Las Salinas del Matorral, and Maspalomas Beach, where the southeasterly storm has practically stripped the sand from the beach, leaving it almost bare.”
The mayor indicated that during this storm, the Fire Department, Civil Protection, and Local Police are operating to minimize the impact on public services caused by the storm. He noted that the City Council has had to reduce the water intake capacity of the desalination plant to prevent damage to its filters due to the turbidity of the seawater, and that the main water supply pipe in Campo Internacional has broken, with work underway to restore service. “Despite this, we have continued to operate and provide services. Above all, we have worked with all the security forces to ensure that residents remain in their homes and avoid unnecessary travel, although some incidents of recklessness have occurred, such as when a person in a car in Las Filipinas was swept away by the ravine and was rescued this afternoon.”
Marco Aurelio Pérez praised the active collaboration of the Civil Guard in the Arguineguín Ravine and in access to the towns, and also the officers of the National Police Corps and Civil Protection, who have been accompanying especially in the actions of the Social Services.
Uncivil cyclists
The mayor reported that in the two days of rain, 287 liters of water per square meter have accumulated in the midlands and summit areas of the municipality, and that due precisely to the accumulated rainfall at the summit of the Island, the Cabildo decided this afternoon to raise the emergency situation to level 1, which requires that all coordination and subordination of the municipal emergency services remain in the hands of the Cabildo.
Marco Aurelio Pérez urged the public to avoid unnecessary travel, especially to avoid hindering emergency services. The mayor also criticized the lack of cooperation shown by many cyclists in this situation. “Many cyclists have ridden their bikes and ignored the recommendations by riding on closed roads, which has been embarrassing due to the inconsiderate behavior of some of them.” He therefore asked cycling clubs and federations to appeal to cyclists, “because the recommendations also apply to them, because they too are putting their own lives at risk and endangering the lives of those who may have to come to their rescue in case of emergency.”
GC-505
Regarding the situation on the GC-505 highway, Marco Aurelio Pérez emphasized that it "varies by the hour" because the intense rain and wind in the summit area are reaching the Barranco de Soria and Arguineguín basin within an hour or two, as all the ravines in the Ayacata and Cercados de Araña area are overflowing. "The water levels are exceeding the channels, and we are encountering many sections of the road with water up to 20 centimeters deep flowing with tremendous force, even preventing emergency vehicles from passing," he stated.
