The aim was to evaluate the established procedures, and the functioning of the warnings and operations, and to detect possible improvements.

At the request of the Department of Environment, Biosphere Reserve and Cooperation of the Consell Insular de Menorca, a meeting has been held between all emergency agencies involved in the two events of DANA in August and September in Alaior and Es Mercadal. The meeting was attended by the Head of the Department of Emergencies of the Balearic Islands Government, Antonio Plata, the director of 112, Eduardo Parga, and representatives of the Fire Fighting Service and the Road Service of the CIM, IBANAT, Emergencies of the Balearic Islands, the National Police, the Civil Guard and representatives of the town councils of Alaior and Es Mercadal.

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The Department of the Environment, Biosphere Reserve and Cooperation meets with all the emergency bodies involved with the DANA

The objective was to evaluate the established procedures, the functioning of the warnings and the operations, and to detect possible improvements in all these processes. In general terms, the operation worked well, even though weather forecasts cannot pinpoint exactly where the heavy rain may fall, given that the DANAS are very erratic and can change course in a few minutes, as was seen with the last one on the 4th and 5th of September.

The meeting was very positive, and several improvements and aspects to be taken into account were proposed.

• All town councils must approve municipal emergency plans, as it is a tool that helps to plan interventions and prevent risks in emergencies.
• Communication between the emergency coordinating bodies and the administrations must continue to be improved, so that the relevant political and technical authorities can be kept abreast of the emergency and the work of the operations, exploiting the existing tools to the maximum capacity.
• It is necessary to articulate all prevention measures sufficiently in advance, to have the technical and human resources available when necessary.
• It has proved necessary to have an Advanced Command Post in the event of an emergency, which could be located in Ciutadella, Es Mercadal or Maó, depending on the state and geographical location where the emergency occurs.
• It is always necessary to improve the information provided to citizens before and during the emergency, making special mention of the local communication channels available to the municipalities. A protocol will be studied to provide more immediate information to citizens.