Orihuela Town Hall has presented a new computer system designed to help coordinate its response to emergencies, particularly during the season when heavy rain and flooding are a concern.
The council developed GES Alert Orihuela through its IT department in collaboration with the emergency services team. The system is intended to bring information together in one place so that the services and officials involved can track incidents and coordinate their work.
It was presented at a routine meeting of CECOPAL, the municipal emergency coordination centre, chaired by mayor Pepe Vegara and emergencies councillor Víctor Valverde. Valverde stressed that there was no active emergency. The council holds these meetings each year to review responsibilities and procedures before they may be needed.
Participants were summoned using the SMS alert system that would be used in a real emergency, allowing the council to check how the activation process worked. The meeting also reviewed measures taken since the previous session to reduce flood risk and improve the town’s response.
GES Alert Orihuela remains in testing. Once its functions have been checked, the council plans to use it for emergencies managed at municipal level. If a more serious incident comes under regional government control, the system could also be made available to those leading the response.
The council intends to gather feedback from the agencies that would use the system and hold a further CECOPAL meeting before the end of the year, including an exercise using the new tool.
Vegara said regular rehearsals were essential so that everyone involved would know their role and be ready to act when an emergency occurred.
