Spanish officials' warnings regarding Forata dam revealed in DANA investigation

During a judicial investigation regarding the DANA weather event, testimony and WhatsApp messages from Javier Sendra, the regional Secretary of Transport for the Generalitat, have revealed discrepancies in emergency communications.

According to court records, at 17:28, Sendra alerted his counselor, Vicente Martínez Mus, to an imminent danger at the Forata dam on the Magro River, noting that water inflow was reaching 1,800 cubic meters while the dam could only release 800. However, shortly after, the tone of the emergency meeting at the Cecopi center shifted.

Sendra testified that the president of the Júcar Hydrographic Confederation, Miguel Polo, later suggested the danger was no longer as imminent, describing the situation as a “bajada del suflé” (a deflation of tension). Sendra reported to Martínez Mus at 17:49 that officials were “removing the iron” (downplaying the severity), approximately two and a half hours before the official ES Alert was issued.