Chaired by mayor Francisco Azcué, a new meeting of the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) was held this Tuesday at the Convention Center, during which progress was made in the implementation of an action protocol based on a system developed by the Argentine Army.
The tool will allow for the integration of updated information on available resources and the projection of different scenarios according to the evolution of the Uruguay River level, enabling advance planning of the actions that the Committee must deploy.
This will allow for the precise determination, based on the river's height variability, of the number of affected people, the necessary human and material resources, the available evacuation centers, the vehicles required for transfers, and other fundamental aspects for an organized response.
In that sense, mayor Azcué remarked that “the objective is to anticipate each situation and avoid improvisation when an emergency arises. It is a tool that allows us to upload updated information and know the type and quantity of logistics and resources to deploy” in the face of the possible effects that the “El Niño” phenomenon could have on the city.
PREVENTION AND ACTION
According to information provided by hydrology specialists from Salto Grande, Azcué reported that the phenomenon has entered an active phase and projections for the period between September and March anticipate the possibility of a significant rise in the Uruguay River. Faced with this scenario, he maintained that the Municipality will continue to strengthen preventive tasks and joint work with the provincial and national governments.
“The forecasts indicate a strong to very strong phenomenon and we must act responsibly. We do not want to generate alarm, but we do want to work with foresight, inform with transparency, and use all available tools to improve our response capacity,” the mayor affirmed.
ACTIONS TO MITIGATE WATER IMPACT
With the objective of mitigating the impact of the river's rise, the Municipality of Concordia is carrying out fundamental water and hydraulic works for the correct drainage of water.
In that sense, Azcué maintained that “from the municipality, we are investing resources in many actions aimed at improving the city's capacity to absorb the volume of water we receive both from rainfall and from the river. We are carrying out work on streams, canals, reservoirs, storm drains, in addition to putting the Southern Defense in optimal conditions. These are municipal resources destined to strengthen the drainage system and improve the city's response capacity in the face of these scenarios.”
STEPS TO FOLLOW
On the other hand, during the meeting, the next steps for joint work were also defined, which will include carrying out a simulation exercise using all the information incorporated into the aforementioned system. This practice will allow for the evaluation of the COE's operational capacity in the face of a hypothetical scenario of extraordinary flooding and the adjustment of the planned procedures.
Along those lines, Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Andrés Camarino, Chief of the 6th Tank Cavalry Regiment “Blandengues”, pointed out that the simulation will allow for the analysis of the different possible scenarios to optimize the use of available resources: “The idea of this meeting is to propose, through a simulation, the possible scenarios that the river may present and, based on the means and resources available, act accordingly. What is sought is foresight and the adequate and efficient use of those resources.”
The tool will allow for the integration of updated information on available resources and the projection of different scenarios according to the evolution of the Uruguay River level, enabling advance planning of the actions that the Committee must deploy.
This will allow for the precise determination, based on the river's height variability, of the number of affected people, the necessary human and material resources, the available evacuation centers, the vehicles required for transfers, and other fundamental aspects for an organized response.
In that sense, mayor Azcué remarked that “the objective is to anticipate each situation and avoid improvisation when an emergency arises. It is a tool that allows us to upload updated information and know the type and quantity of logistics and resources to deploy” in the face of the possible effects that the “El Niño” phenomenon could have on the city.
PREVENTION AND ACTION
According to information provided by hydrology specialists from Salto Grande, Azcué reported that the phenomenon has entered an active phase and projections for the period between September and March anticipate the possibility of a significant rise in the Uruguay River. Faced with this scenario, he maintained that the Municipality will continue to strengthen preventive tasks and joint work with the provincial and national governments.
“The forecasts indicate a strong to very strong phenomenon and we must act responsibly. We do not want to generate alarm, but we do want to work with foresight, inform with transparency, and use all available tools to improve our response capacity,” the mayor affirmed.
ACTIONS TO MITIGATE WATER IMPACT
With the objective of mitigating the impact of the river's rise, the Municipality of Concordia is carrying out fundamental water and hydraulic works for the correct drainage of water.
In that sense, Azcué maintained that “from the municipality, we are investing resources in many actions aimed at improving the city's capacity to absorb the volume of water we receive both from rainfall and from the river. We are carrying out work on streams, canals, reservoirs, storm drains, in addition to putting the Southern Defense in optimal conditions. These are municipal resources destined to strengthen the drainage system and improve the city's response capacity in the face of these scenarios.”
STEPS TO FOLLOW
On the other hand, during the meeting, the next steps for joint work were also defined, which will include carrying out a simulation exercise using all the information incorporated into the aforementioned system. This practice will allow for the evaluation of the COE's operational capacity in the face of a hypothetical scenario of extraordinary flooding and the adjustment of the planned procedures.
Along those lines, Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Andrés Camarino, Chief of the 6th Tank Cavalry Regiment “Blandengues”, pointed out that the simulation will allow for the analysis of the different possible scenarios to optimize the use of available resources: “The idea of this meeting is to propose, through a simulation, the possible scenarios that the river may present and, based on the means and resources available, act accordingly. What is sought is foresight and the adequate and efficient use of those resources.”