This morning, mayor Francisco Azcué, together with the members of the Emergency Operations Committee (COE), led a new meeting where progress was made on the various actions being developed with the objective of determining functions in the action protocol regarding the possible arrival and impact that the “El Niño” phenomenon would have in Concordia.
One of the measures announced by the mayor is the submission to the Deliberative Council of a bill to declare a water and climate emergency in Concordia, until March of next year, with the possibility of being extended if necessary, with the objective of preventing, mitigating, and addressing the effects derived from extraordinary meteorological phenomena and guaranteeing the continuity of essential services and functions
He also announced the appointment of the Secretary of Health, Diego Sauré, as operational coordinator of the COE, whose responsibility will be to deepen the articulated work with the institutions and organizations that comprise it, respecting the competencies and autonomy of each area.
ACTIVE COMMITTEE
Regarding the operation of the COE, Azcué was clear: “it is integrated by prestigious institutions, with experience and highly committed, working permanently. With the negative forecasts that are being handled, which indicate that the most serious is expected for the period between the months of September and March, we are deepening the responsibilities and actions within the established protocol, using as a basis and work method a system developed by the Argentine Army that allows us to evaluate the impact of the flood according to the different levels”.
Another important piece of data highlighted by the mayor is the effect of the rainfall, which is expected to be intense like that which occurred recently. For this, the preventive work carried out by the Municipality in the maintenance of the pumping stations of the South Defense; cleaning of storm drains, drainage channels, and streams is fundamental. “The more the impact of the rains can be mitigated, the fewer problems will arise within the city, therefore it is important that residents collaborate and do not throw away waste or debris that could obstruct the normal functioning of these sectors”.
Finally, Azcué highlighted that “the forecasts are not good, that is why we ask that we take things seriously, each one from the place that corresponds to them, being as responsible and professional as possible because we are facing a complex situation. We are talking about a significant rise in levels that, at a minimum, could reach 15 meters”.
THE CITY CONTINUES TO FUNCTION
For his part, Sauré maintained that “beyond the problems that may arise, the city must continue to function as such, regardless of what happens to us, which is why it is important to professionalize the crisis and that is the decision that has been made. Through the system developed by the Army, we already have information and statistics from 1950 to the present that will allow us to establish in advance, for example, how many families or people need to be relocated as the river rises”.
“We do not want to cause greater concern to the community, but we do want them to know that the planning with which we are working provides for different scenarios. We do not know what will happen, what the magnitude will be, but we must be prepared,” concluded Sauré.
CURRENT RIVER BEHAVIOR
Regarding the current behavior of the Uruguay River, the Hydrology area of the Mixed Technical Commission of Salto Grande (CTM) reported that it is going through a period of ordinary flooding, which is entering the recession phase that will tend to lower the level towards the weekend.
Regarding the latter, the operational coordinator of the COE indicated that this will allow the return to their homes of the six families that were evacuated preventively at the beginning of the week.
One of the measures announced by the mayor is the submission to the Deliberative Council of a bill to declare a water and climate emergency in Concordia, until March of next year, with the possibility of being extended if necessary, with the objective of preventing, mitigating, and addressing the effects derived from extraordinary meteorological phenomena and guaranteeing the continuity of essential services and functions
He also announced the appointment of the Secretary of Health, Diego Sauré, as operational coordinator of the COE, whose responsibility will be to deepen the articulated work with the institutions and organizations that comprise it, respecting the competencies and autonomy of each area.
ACTIVE COMMITTEE
Regarding the operation of the COE, Azcué was clear: “it is integrated by prestigious institutions, with experience and highly committed, working permanently. With the negative forecasts that are being handled, which indicate that the most serious is expected for the period between the months of September and March, we are deepening the responsibilities and actions within the established protocol, using as a basis and work method a system developed by the Argentine Army that allows us to evaluate the impact of the flood according to the different levels”.
Another important piece of data highlighted by the mayor is the effect of the rainfall, which is expected to be intense like that which occurred recently. For this, the preventive work carried out by the Municipality in the maintenance of the pumping stations of the South Defense; cleaning of storm drains, drainage channels, and streams is fundamental. “The more the impact of the rains can be mitigated, the fewer problems will arise within the city, therefore it is important that residents collaborate and do not throw away waste or debris that could obstruct the normal functioning of these sectors”.
Finally, Azcué highlighted that “the forecasts are not good, that is why we ask that we take things seriously, each one from the place that corresponds to them, being as responsible and professional as possible because we are facing a complex situation. We are talking about a significant rise in levels that, at a minimum, could reach 15 meters”.
THE CITY CONTINUES TO FUNCTION
For his part, Sauré maintained that “beyond the problems that may arise, the city must continue to function as such, regardless of what happens to us, which is why it is important to professionalize the crisis and that is the decision that has been made. Through the system developed by the Army, we already have information and statistics from 1950 to the present that will allow us to establish in advance, for example, how many families or people need to be relocated as the river rises”.
“We do not want to cause greater concern to the community, but we do want them to know that the planning with which we are working provides for different scenarios. We do not know what will happen, what the magnitude will be, but we must be prepared,” concluded Sauré.
CURRENT RIVER BEHAVIOR
Regarding the current behavior of the Uruguay River, the Hydrology area of the Mixed Technical Commission of Salto Grande (CTM) reported that it is going through a period of ordinary flooding, which is entering the recession phase that will tend to lower the level towards the weekend.
Regarding the latter, the operational coordinator of the COE indicated that this will allow the return to their homes of the six families that were evacuated preventively at the beginning of the week.